The Parliament of Finland on Tuesday, March 1, will hold a parliamentary discussion, which will also discuss a petition for the country’s possible entry into the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). This was announced on February 28 by Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
“Because the civil initiative for membership [Финляндии] in NATO has collected the required number of signatures and is moving into parliament, it is worth hearing the views of the parties. From this point of view, this issue will also be included in the agenda of tomorrow’s parliamentary session,” she wrote in her Twitter.
According to a poll conducted by sociological company Taloustutkimus commissioned by broadcaster Yle, currently 53% of Finnish residents support the country’s accession to NATO, 28% of respondents were against it, and 19% found it difficult to answer. This study was conducted from 23 to 25 February, it involved 1382 people aged 18 to 80 years.
On February 27, it became known that more than 56,000 signatures on a petition to hold a referendum on Finland’s accession to NATO, collected since February 21, allow it to be submitted to the country’s parliament for consideration.
Finland announced its intention to apply for membership in NATO if the issue of national security becomes acute. This was announced on Wednesday, February 23, by Marin.
On January 13, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that, if desired, Finland and Sweden would be able to quickly join the bloc, as they meet many of the standards of the North Atlantic Alliance. After that, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that the country does not yet plan to discuss the possibility of joining the alliance. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson also noted the government’s lack of intention to change its foreign policy line and declare the need to join NATO.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
