HS in Rovaniemi | “Men don’t always behave well in large groups” – This is how Rovaniemi comments on the possible placement of US soldiers in the town

Rovaniemi

Americans soldiers are welcome in the north just like other foreigners. Local businesses get customers at the same time, but you have to know how to behave in the nightlife.

This is how the attitude of the locals interviewed in Rovaniemi can be summed up to the plan between Finland and the United States to the agreement defense cooperation. The entry into force of the agreement means that US soldiers can arrive in Finland and stay in the country quite freely.

for the location of US troop emplacements has been speculated among others Northern Finland. According to Iltalehti’s sources Lapland’s air force base in Rovaniemi would be one of the places where the United States would have freedom of action.

“Yes, those soldiers can be seen here from time to time. I’ve thought before that someone will feed and water them and house them”, reflects the Rovaniemi resident Aleksi Blomster.

According to Blomster, Rovaniemi is already a tourist town and there are enough people in the town even without soldiers. That’s why it might make sense in terms of regional politics to place the soldiers in another location, he thinks.

Blomster does not consider the idea of ​​US soldiers to be entirely risk-free.

“The risks are then related to that contract. Soldiers must not have any immunity (inviolability), and Finnish laws must be respected.”

Blomster’s friend agrees Markus Korjonen.

“Of course, not at any price, but if we prepare for mild phenomena.”

Korjonen and Blomster mean by mild phenomena, for example, behavior in the nightlife. Otherwise, they have a positive attitude towards Finland’s NATO membership.

“In 2008, during the war in Georgia, I thought that Finland’s NATO membership would be a good thing. In 2014, when Russia took over Crimea, membership is actually in favor of membership,” says Blomster.

Software service company Wild about an entrepreneur from Lapland, from Rovaniemi Theo Turner believes that American soldiers would further increase the internationality of the region.

Before moving to Finland, Turner worked in his second home country, Britain, as a captain in the Royal Marines. According to him, Finland’s NATO membership is a great thing because the defense alliance offers the state great security.

“On the other hand, men don’t always behave well in large groups. I myself have seen soldiers behaving badly here in Rovaniemi.”

According to Turner, Finland is a safe country, but if you look at what the world is like at the moment, you should “make friends”.

in Rovaniemi military exercises are organized regularly. The municipality is home to both the Lapland Air Force and the Jaeger Brigade.

Last May, the Arctic Challenge Exercise 23 air exercise was organized in the area, in which a total of 3,000 soldiers from the armed forces of fourteen countries participated. The exercise, which lasted a couple of weeks, was also visible in the local restaurants.

Tiina Tapio and Jukka Kariniemi consider the defense cooperation between Finland and the United States to be politically complicated. Picture: Karolina Paatos

The restaurant manager of the Grande rock restaurant in the city center Mikko Outila describes the soldiers as customers for a couple of pints, with whom there are no problems.

Those playing billiards in Grande Tiina Tapion and Jukka Kariniemen it is not a problem if Americans or citizens of any other country arrive in Rovaniemi. Politically, however, the matter is more complicated than they think: what kind of message does the defense cooperation between Finland and the United States send to Russia?

“After all, the United States has also had wars, but not in Europe,” says Tapio.

Also a waiter at the Gustav restaurant in the center Dat Nguyen says that soldiers are quite common customers. Personally, he finds the war oppressive.

“But it is what it is. Of course, it’s distressing every day if there’s a war.”

Dat Nguyen works as a waiter at Gustav restaurant. According to him, there are already quite a lot of soldiers as customers. Picture: Karolina Paatos