As a member of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Finland has ratified the Vienna Document 2011 (VD11), which is one of the effective arms control agreements. Pursuant to this document, Finland arranged 14th to 17th of April for the OSCE member states a visit to the bases of the Karelian Air Command and the Karelia Brigade.
The document states that, as a measure to increase trust and security, each member state is obliged to present one Army and one Air Force unit to the representatives sent by the other member states within a period of five years.
In the spirit of the Vienna Document, the purpose of presenting the units and bases is to increase openness between the member states and the transparency of operations, along with further reducing military tension between the states. The last base visit in Finland was organised in 2021.
The OSCE is one of the most extensive regional security organisations in the world, whose member states cover a geographic area spanning from Vancouver to Vladivostok.
Finland has been involved in the OSCE and the preceding CSCE (Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe) since the beginning. Finland signed the Helsinki Final Act in 1975 at the same time as 34 other countries.
The year 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki conference and the decisions which originated the OSCE arms control agreements and the related practical measures.
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
