Pär Sundquist works as a Political Advisor at (F)HQ. His background includes working as an official at both the Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister’s Office and he is happy about the visit from the Ministry:
“It’s brilliant that the Ministry is taking the time to come here so that we have the opportunity to describe how we work in order to be fully operative on 1 January 2011. Nordic Battlegroup is no normal unit – the fact that we are multinational, with five countries contributing troops and materiel, places special demands on us,” says Pär Sundquist.
The visit from the Ministry of Defence was led by the Deputy Head of the Department for International and Security Affairs, Johanna Gårdmark:
“I’m satisfied with the day's visit. The battlegroup is an important tool for the EU and during our chairmanship last autumn we pursued issues concerning the use of battlegroups. It has been an interesting visit and it is always good to be able to form an opinion about the situation on site.”
There is a long time until NBG is on standby and whether NBG receives a mission is naturally nothing Johanna Gårdmark wishes to speculate on, but she is certain about one thing:
“I’m convinced that the Nordic Battlegroup will do a good job if it is necessary for it to be deployed.”