Finland has joined the US-led multilateral declaration on submarine cable security.
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The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inform: "Finland has joined the US-led multilateral declaration on submarine cable security. In the declaration, joint goals and means were agreed upon to strengthen the safety and resilience of submarine cables."
The joint declaration prepared at the initiative of the United States was published in New York in connection with the UN General Assembly at a side event organized by the United States on September 25, 2024.
The aim of the declaration is to encourage states to promote the integrity, safety and accessibility of the submarine cable infrastructure, which is important for the digital economy. The declaration is not legally binding.
"Our societies are even more dependent on reliable and secure digital connections, which guarantee free communication and support the growth of the digital economy. The initiative supports Finland's efforts to extend these benefits to everyone," says Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
Finland is among the first signatory countries. The EU and several like-minded partner countries, including Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom, also joined the statement.
The countries committed to the declaration strive to intensify cooperation in the development of reliable and safe undersea infrastructure.
Finland supports the declaration's comprehensive approach to the safety of submarine cables.
The joint declaration emphasizes, for example, favoring proven safe equipment suppliers in new projects, preventing accidental and intentional damage, close cooperation between the public and private sectors, and strengthening resilience through alternative routing.
Investments in submarine cable connections are central from the point of view of the global digital economy and security. They also support the connection of developing countries more closely to the global economy.
The statement and the US side event are indeed related to the UN's goal of emphasizing the development of digital infrastructure all over the world.
Submarine cables and securing northern connections are Finland's priorities. Finland has emphasized the importance of new northern transatlantic connections and planned to establish a direct Europe-Asia connection with an Arctic sea cable connection.
The Finnish company Cinia is planning the Far North Fiber project, which would create a direct connection from Europe via Alaska to Asia using the Arctic Northwest Passage. ■
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