Sawt Falasteen - Canadian, German and Norway leaders hold Arctic security talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who are making separate visits to the Scandinavian country, will meet their host Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Bardufoss, a military town located above the Arctic Circle where NATO's Cold Response exercise is taking place.

The High North has long been shielded by the concept of "Arctic exceptionalism" -- the notion that the region had its own set of unwritten rules of cooperation which were immune to geopolitical rivalries.

But regional dynamics between Russia and the West have changed since the start of the war in Ukraine and due to US President Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland.

"In the face of new threats, we are deepening defence collaboration with our Arctic partners to create a stronger, more prosperous, and more secure world for Canada and for all," Carney said in a statement ahead of the visit.

Around 25,000 troops from 14 countries including the United States are taking part in the Cold Response exercise, held every two years and aimed at training together in extreme winter conditions.

This year's gathering has been impacted by the war in the Middle East, with France redirecting its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean.

After visiting troops on Friday, the three leaders are due to hold a press conference around 3:30 pm (1430 GMT).

"We share the conviction that as European NATO allies, we must do more to secure the High North as NATO," Merz said at the World Economic Summit in Davos in January.

"This is a common transatlantic interest."

NATO chief Mark Rutte was also scheduled to visit Cold Response on March 18.

- Russian flights -

Faced with NATO's manoeuvres in its vicinity, Russia has asserted its presence.

The Norwegian military said Wednesday it had scrambled F-35 fighter jets on two consecutive days this week to intercept Russian military aircraft in international airspace north of Norway.

"There is nothing unusual or dramatic about such Russian flights, and Russia has the right to conduct these missions," the military said.

"The Russian flights are most likely intended to gather situational awareness of allied activity in connection with Cold Response 2026," it added.

Moscow has also announced that it would be conducting missile tests near the Norwegian waters of the Barents Sea, as it has done during previous exercises.

Warming three to four times faster than the planet, the Arctic is attracting increasing interest as the melting sea ice opens up greater access to resources -- such as oil and gas, minerals and fish -- as well as new shipping routes.

Before visiting Bardufoss, Merz and Store are to visit the Andoya space centre, where German group Isar Aerospace hopes to soon launch another of its Spectrum rockets.

Carney will meanwhile travel to Oslo where he will meet the prime ministers of the five Nordic countries for talks on Sunday.

V.Said--SF-PST