[Nordic Council]: Closed Session [9806-002]

[Connor]

X9806-002XXCLOSED SESSIONX
Subject: Reconstruction of the Council​

SECURE | Copyright © Nordic Council​

 

[Connor]

By order of the Nordic Council Presidium the Nordic Council Chambers are announced into a closed session to discuss, with any available signatory state, the subject matter; namely the Reconstruction of the Council. This session has been designated a 'SECURE' classification and in accordance with the Communications Security and Classification Regulation will not be open to the public or press. All signatory states representation are formally invited to attend the chamber immediately.

President Jessica Polfjärd would take her seat at the front of the chamber, acting as the speaker for this session.

Ambassador for Sweden to the Nordic Council Gunnar Davidsson would too take his seat just behind a small wooden plaque engraved with the word 'Sweden' where he would await there arrival of the Norwegian representative: the only other recognised member of the Nordic Council at this time.

Vaka

 

[Vaka]

Øystein Bø walked into the Nordic Council Chambers sporting a Double-breasted glen plaid Martini-fit Dolce & Gabbana. Wearing his trademark inviting smile and carrying a brown leather he found the seat that could only be for him. He had been appointed the permanent Norwegian Representative to the Nordic Council only days prior. Seeing the wooden plaque labeled “Norway” flanked by a small Norwegian flag, he knew he had found the right spot. After getting comfortable, he unpacked several manilla folders from the briefcase arranging them from right to left gambling on what topics would be discussed first. Noticing President Jessica Polfjärd at the head of the Chambers, he gave a slight nod indicating that he was ready to begin.

Connor​

 

[Connor]

Upon the Norwegian representative entering the chamber, a brief smile and a respectful nod would be passed by Ambassador Davidsson. Doors to the chamber would be closed shot and as previously stated are not accessible by the general public or the press, nor can the proceedings be heard externally. This also prompted the President to begin the session. Jessica would lead into the microphone upon the wooden podium that stood immediately infant of her chair on a raised stage area:

"The time is now 17:25 on this date in June 2001. Representatives are present and I'd like to announce this chamber into closed session on the subject matter: the Reconstruction of the Council. I'd like to make representatives aware that I have been provided agenda by the Government of Sweden prompting this session; it is clear that this council has not been operating as it was initially intended to and questions have been raised by both the Norwegian and Swedish governments in respect to its viability. I will pass the floor to Swedish Ambassador Davidsson for an opening statement on behalf of the Government of Sweden..." she smiles and she takes her seat, where she will remain to preside over the session.

"Thank you Madam President" the Ambassador says as he stands, buttoning his suit jacket and speaking into his microphone "This chamber has changed dramatically over the past few years, as has the council itself. We have waved goodbye to representatives from Finland, Denmark, Germany and even the former South Korea as we have continued to gain and lose interest from international governments throughout the years. At our very core however is one word... Nordic... we are the Nordic Council and I strongly believe, as does the Swedish government, that there should be a much stronger emphasis on our nordic roots are we seek to move away from being an international organisation and shift our focus to a regional focal point. Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. All five of us represented under a single organisation. Our interests, our communities and our own objectives for regional success rather than the appeasement of the international stage. The entire world is focussed on being at the top of military might, but they miss the essential domestic affairs that we a sworn to serve: healthcare, law enforcement, immigration and migration, justice, human rights, labour, sanitisation, poverty, public services, employment, education, energy and the list goes on. I open the floor to my honourable friend representing Norway..."

Bringing an end to his brief statement, eager to hear the opinion of the Norwegian representative, he would return to his seat where he would unbutton his jacket once again and mute his microphone.

Vaka

 

[Vaka]

Ambassador Bø listened closely to the words spoken by the Swedish ambassador. He took the occasional note on a small legal pad while nodding in agreement with the statements made. As the Swedish ambassador finished their opening remarks, Ambassador Bø was still frantically jotting down some additional notes modifying his opening statement. Satisfied, he sat his pen down and activated his microphone.

“Thank you, Ambassador Davidsson,” spoke Ambassador Bø as he glanced down at his notes. “Norway has in recent years focused solely on domestic concerns. Unfortunately, these insular policies have left its seat on the Council essentially vacant. As you can no doubt tell by my appearance today, Prime Minister Stoltenberg along with his cabinet hopes to keep this seat warm for the foreseeable future. With that said, let us get down to business.” The last statement is followed with a warm smile.

“The words of Ambassador Davidsson ring true as I hear them. The Nordic council being “Nordic” is essential. Our efforts as a multinational council should be firmly focused on Scandinavia. Attempts at adding non-nordic nations have shown that they lack the lasting brotherhood felt by the majority of the Scandinavian people. Come what may, for better or for worse, we are still family here in these chambers. And as a family, The Nordic council should have the well-being of its citizens as a top priority. We would like to see comprehensive plans in place to improve our economies, transportation between Scandinavia, and prevention of terrorism.”

“This is not to say that the Nordic Council should abandon its role as a potent military force. Our islands and fjords will need stern guards. This burden we acknowledge Sweden carries alone. Norway and its armed forces continue to rebuild and rearm. We have recently seen the recruitment of eighty thousand new army recruits. Our navy has just commissioned five new Olso class frigates. Our Airforce has readied defenses armed with the Norwegian-made NASAM 1 missile systems. This pales in comparison to the might of the Swedish armed forces, however, but we do hope that we can help shoulder some of that tremendous burden. With that, I open the floor to the wonderful Ambassador Davidsson”

The ambassador double-checked his notes. He hadn’t been able to fit everything into his opening statement. But no need to ramble on at length. He sipped a glass of ice-cold water and waited to hear the Swedish response.

Connor

 

[Connor]

"Ambassador I hope you can excuse my neglect in welcoming you and your great nation back to these chambers, as a founding member you are and always will be given the warmest of welcomes back to your seat. I am sure I speak on behalf of both the Presidium and the Secretariat when I say we welcome Prime Minister Stolenberg's focus on keeping this council in its original form. Our own foreign policy is making a strong shift towards regional support for a friends and allies. We have no closer ally than our neighbours in Scandinavia and this is something we're keen to continue to progress encompassing the core ethical values we have always held close to our hearts; the main attribute that brings this chamber together and allows us to thrive internationally. There is no doubt in my mind that Scandinavia is one of the safest places in the world to live or visit."

He pauses briefly, flipping a white A4 sheet of paper on the desk in front of him and taking a quick glance to remind himself of some key points made by the Norwegian Ambassador. Upon the sheet were various scrawls which, together, form rapid note taking throughout the speech.

"I concur that nations around the world being apart of this council has not only been a phenomenal logical challenge but also shown the extreme difficulty in retaining loyalty and cooperation when the vast expanse of the earth stands between us. I am reassured that the localisation of this council is met by all parties - and I will leave it to the Presidium to pass this on as appropriate to enforce this into policy."

"NORSCOM, the Nordic Strategic Command, proved as a significant step forward as a potent military force. Something we are keen to retain and continue to invest in. NORSCOM opened member states up to strong multinational cooperation to ensure the strong strategic defence of our homeland and overseas territories. It goes without saying that Sweden has been a world power for a number of years now, something that we are obviously extremely proud of but it goes to show the strength of the Nordic region - staring from the very bottom and working to the very top. I hope we will soon see Norway climb the international stage too."

Vaka

 

[Vaka]

“Speaking briefly about NORSCOM in regards to the Norweigan Sea. With the rise of global shipping, we are planning on starting patrols with our Oslo class frigates there in the near future. We would like to see an expansion of radar facilities placed along the coast of that region extending out and onto Svalbard Island. We intend to do this in cooperation with Sweden and NORSCOM in hopes that we can extend the reach of our vision in that area. I believe that Sweden already operates a radar facility on land leased from the Norwegian Government. We would like to integrate these separate systems into one large cooperative network thus covering most of Scandinavia.”

“I would also like to discuss the oil fields of the Norweigan Sea. We are planning in the next three years an extensive overhaul of Norwegian crude oil production. This has been seen as a tremendous blessing for Norway. We will currently lack the facilities to refine the crude into any other products. But we could see a situation where Norway could extract the crude and another Nordic Nation could then refine the products further for sale on the worldwide market. This would allow us total energy independence, which is of huge national importance with the current state of the traditional exporters from the middle east. Would something of a Nordic Strategic Oil Reserve be of any interest to the council?”

Connor

 

[Connor]

"I am glad you have brought this motion up: regional patrol is certainly an area where we downfall. Years ago we established the Swedish Coast Guard which similar authorities to that of the Swedish Navy in order to extend regional security and law enforcement capabilities. We collectively border some of the largest shipping lanes in the world and, as you said, these will soon be bustling to the point that it may begin to develop into matters of national security and certainly law and order. As you say, the Swedish Strategic Defence Network does operate within Norway, we have three sites I believe, dotted amongst the coastline which at present are purely air defence capable. I will raise integration with a Norwegian competent authority with the Department of Defence: out of interest whom would be your primary managing agency for such systems?

NORSCOM Supreme Commander, prior to your government taking power, was Major General Kristin Lund who I believe formally served as the Head of Veteran Affairs for the Norwegian Defence Staff prior to her appointment. May I ask if there's any anticipation of her remaining in post? I am keen to ensure Norway retains the NORSCOM Supreme Commander position.

In addition, in relation to the meeting subject matter: at present the Allemannsrett Area and Nordic Concordant are the only ratified agreements in place within the Nordic Council. In order to ensure this council operates as it should could I ensure that Norway intends to remain a signatory state of these two agreements?

I think a Nordic Strategic Oil Reserve would be of significant economic and political importance to the council: this is something probably better raised within the Committee for Trade and Economic Affairs, but certainly something I am keen to discuss further."

Vaka

 

[Vaka]

Surface-to-air missile sites along with major radar installations will fall under the control of the Royal Norwegian Airforce. We intend to have sites that employ battalion-level use of the NASAMS missile system. These sites are intended to feed back target tracking information back to a central command location at the Oslo Airforce base. Here threats can be analyzed by the appropriate staff and the command teams can take action if necessary. We are planning on building twelve of these SAM installations along with roughly ten separate radar installations. Along with additional protection from your previous three sites, we would feel that Norway would be completely protected from most aerial threats. Very little would be able to pass through the skies of Scandinavia without being noticed by at least one member of the Nordic Council.

I feel embarrassed to say that we were not aware that Norway held the NORSCOM Supreme Commander position. I am not currently aware if Major General Kristin Lund is still employed by our government in some capacity. I would have to confer with our cabinet in Oslo to select a suitable replacement. But I suspect that Major General Lars Lervik will be asked to take the position. He is the current Chief of the Army and commands a great deal of respect not only from our government but from the rank and file armed forces. We should have an answer for the Council chambers within a few days.

In regards to the Allemannsrett Area and Nordic Concordant agreements in place, we do intend to stay founding signatories to both of these treaties. We would also like to take part in the National Security Investment Initiative if that is still currently active. This would go a long way to helping pay for the modernization of our armed forces.

I would like to ask about the current situation in South Africa. As it stands we have vastly increased the size of the Nordic Realm and Norway has little to no information on if there is to be a peaceful transition of power to a provisional government or if South America is to become a part of the Nordic Council permanently. I say this simply because Article 2 of the Nordic Concordant, Section one, Paragraph B state that, “Any new territory that is properly annexed, purchased, ceded to, or otherwise incorporated by a member of this treaty becomes a part of the Nordic Realm and is therefore included under this clause.” Doubling in size will put a great strain on the resources of the council without proper future planning.

Connor