Finland Times

Talking to newsmen in Rovaniemi after the two-day conference of Nordic defence ministers, Haglund said Finland had sent only 10 instructors to the training camp for educating the forces of Mali.

He said the issue of sending Finnish troops to Mali depended on United Nations request and only after receiving a request from the UN, Finland parliament might give the issue further considerations.

The minister said from the perspective of the Finnish soldiers, the Mali operations was still on an initial stage, with the troops participating in training courses, and they should be able to take care of themselves.

Mali is going through a volatile condition due to resurgence of Islamist militants undermining peace and stability.

France sent combat forces to Mali to assist the country’s armed forces and the European Union launched a military training mission in Mali which involves 170 instructors. At least 500 soldiers from 22 countries are performing peace-keeping duties in Mali now.

The EU military training mission aimed at providing training and advice to the Malian troops is expected to begin in April.

Finland has been participating in the training mission since 2010 and will continue to deploy a maximum of 10 soldiers until May 2015.

Meanwhile, the two-day conference of the Nordic defence ministers concluded on Friday in Rovaniemi after holding discussions on various issues, including development of Nordefco activities, common training and exercises, and joint Nordic participation in the UN-led crisis-management operations.

The Icelandic ambassador to Finland also took part in the conference held at the Arctic Centre (Arktikum).

As Finland is holding the presidency of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (Nordefco) for 2013 so Defence Minister Carl Haglund chaired the ministerial meet.

The ministers of the Nordic countries also held bilateral talks, especially on industrial cooperation, on the sidelines of the programme.