Norra admiral soovitab Fääri saartel valmis olla ise hakkama saada ja eraldatuseks.
The security political situation in Europe means that it is wise for the Faroese to have extra water and food at home, says Nato vice admiral.
For many years, having a home emergency system has been a dusty concept. Something that has not really been seen as a necessity.
at the beginning of January But since Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Otto Bohlin, gave a startling thunderous speech , in which he called on the Swedes to take responsibility for their own domestic preparedness, the discussion has spread.
Now it has also landed on the Faroe Islands.
This week, the Faroe Islands hosted a themed session under the auspices of the Nordic Council for the first time. The topic was security and preparedness, and Norway's military representative for Nato, Louise Dedichen, was invited as a guest speaker.
In an interview with the Faroese public service station, Kringvarp Føroya, she directly advised the Faroese to have their home preparedness under control. Not only if natural disasters occur, but also in light of the troubled security political situation.
- It's a silly word, because if we just look back ten to fifteen years, preparedness was a dusty word that we didn't talk about that much. Someone else took care of that.
- But preparedness should be part of our thinking, so having extra water at home, I think that's wise, and it's also wise to have extra food supplies at home, and it's wise to think, what do I do if things, I have taken it for granted, I am no longer there, said Louise Dedichen to Kringvarp Føroya.
According to John Johannesen, who is editor and host on the Faroese public service station, the announcement has not created much debate among the Faroese population.
- You can see on social media that it has startled a little, he says.
But there are also those who have pulled a little on the smiley face of the advice from Norway's military representative for Nato. In the Faroe Islands, there is a tradition of filling the chest freezer well with food that can last for more than a few days.
- There are several who have a large chest freezer, some have two or three, but you have to remember that if there is a power failure for several days, the food in the freezer will also be destroyed.
- But you also have dried meat, dried fish and fermented products hanging in sheds. So the Faroese usually have plenty of food at home, which can be eaten for several weeks, if needed, he says.
Unlike countries such as Norway and Sweden, here at home we have not heard the same tone from the Danish government about the need for a home emergency. The Faroese head of government takes the same line.
also read : The Minister of Defense himself has 'a little extra food' on hand. Parties are calling for an actual contingency plan
Lagman Aksel Johannesen was put in a rally by the Faroese media on Thursday. With him he had a message that the Faroe Islands should not be afraid here and now.
- He tried to downplay it and said that the threat picture regarding the Faroe Islands was not there at all now that it was necessary to have stocks at home of food and water, says John Johannesen.
Will keep a close eye on Russian ships
During the interview, Norwegian Nato Vice Admiral Louise Dedichen was also asked about the significance of the presence of Russian fishing vessels in the Faroe Islands.
The concern here is that Russia will use its license and access to fish in the waters off the Faroe Islands for other purposes than fishing, and that this could potentially threaten the security of the Commonwealth of Nations.
In the past, two Russian fishing vessels that have been fishing in the Faroe Islands for years have been linked to possible espionage, as the documentary series 'Shadow War' uncovered, among other things.
- Previously, we thought that a fisherman is just a fisherman. That time is over. So we have to be vigilant, and that applies down to every single resident, said Louise Dedichsen to Kringvarp Føroya.
Last summer, the Faroese government reduced the possibility of Russian ships docking in Faroese ports. This means that only fishing vessels that are affiliated to the fishing agreement between the Faroe Islands and Russia are now allowed to use the ports.
And according to associate professor and head of studies at the Department of History and Social Sciences at the University of the Faroe Islands, Heini Í Skorini, it is planned that the Faroese lagman will keep an even more vigilant eye on the Russian ships that still fish in the Faroe Islands and use the Faroese harbours.
He mentions that the lagman was personally against extending the fishing agreement between the Faroe Islands and Russia back in December, but that his party was in the minority in the Faroese parliament. The agreement was therefore extended.
He insists that the layman also expresses to the Faroese media that there is no room to be naive when it comes to Russia.
- Faroese authorities have been given more resources to board in relation to the inspection and regulation of Russian ships in Faroese waters. A more vigilant eye is kept on what happens in Faroese waters, says Heini Í Skorini.
- It has divided the Faroese population because it also affects the business world, because the Russian ships have been customers, for example, in relation to buying oil in the Faroe Islands.
- So it has been a reasonably inflamed Faroese matter, but the lagman absolutely insists that we have to keep a more watchful eye on the Russian ships, which are still here, even if they are much fewer than a year ago, he says .
The Faroe Islands will sit at the table in Nato
DR has tried to get an interview with the Faroe Islands captain, Aksel Johannesen, but the captain's office informs us that the captain has nothing more to add to what he said to Faroese TV on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Aksel Johannesen himself was a guest speaker at the Nordic Council's themed session, and here he expressed that the Faroe Islands must play a more active role in NATO and thus sent new foreign and security policy signals.
- Now we heard the lagman at this theme session, where he was a guest speaker on Tuesday, talk a lot about an active Faroese role in preserving peace here in the North Atlantic. An active Faroese role in NATO. An obligation to do something. He used very strong words, and then the thing about the Faroe Islands also having to sit at the table in Nato. So it is actually something that the Faroese are not very used to hearing from a layman, says John Johannesen.
According to Heini Í Skorini, the layman has not elaborated on how he envisions the Faroe Islands getting a greater voice in Nato.
He explains that the announcement should be seen as an extension of a general desire in the Faroe Islands to be more involved when it comes to foreign affairs, - defense and security policy, even though these are areas for which Denmark is responsible.
- The military traffic in the North Atlantic is greater, there are far more visits from American military vessels, submarines, etc. There is NATO training in Faroese waters, so there is a lot going on right now, and the lieutenant's desire to sit at the table under NATO auspices is an extension of the general desire for more involvement in decision-making processes, says Heini Í Skorini.
