Finland must now decide quickly whether or not to apply for membership in the military alliance, said Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. “Unity is the best guarantee of security,” she added.
According to Finnish media reports, around half of the 200 members of parliament probably support NATO membership. Only around twelve MPs have publicly spoken out against it. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto stressed at the beginning of the debate that it is important that Finland and Sweden strive to take decisions more or less simultaneously and in the same direction.
“It is clear that Russia’s actions have brought us many steps closer to military union,” said Antti Lindtman, MP for the ruling Social Democratic Party. Russia has become “ruthless, unpredictable and aggressive”. However, Lindtman did not clearly position himself in favor of joining. A final decision can only be made after Parliament and its committees have thoroughly considered the issue.
The Greens, the Center Party, the opposition Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party spoke out in favor of joining. However, the Left Alliance, a junior partner in the ruling coalition, warned that NATO membership would put Finland on the front line in the event of a Russian attack.
So far, Finland is a member of the EU but not of NATO. The country’s military neutrality has long had strong popular support, even though the Finnish armed forces regularly take part in NATO maneuvers. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, survey opinion polls have now doubled the support of Finns to join NATO to around 60 percent.
Sweden is no longer ruling out joining the western military alliance, but is more reluctant than its neighbor. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has promised both countries quick membership if they apply for membership.
President Sauli Niinistö announced on Wednesday that he and his wife Jenni Haukio Sweden were invited by King Carl XVI. Gustaf will pay a state visit on May 17th and 18th. The program includes meetings with members of the royal family and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. The aim of the state visit is to reaffirm the close cooperation and the increasingly closer ties between the two countries in the changed security situation.
Russia had warned Finland and Sweden about the “consequences” of a possible NATO membership. If that happens, Russia will station nuclear weapons near the three Baltic states and Scandinavia, former Russian President and current number two on the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, recently warned.
Moscow classifies the expansion of the US-led alliance as a security threat. If Finland were to join, the land borders between the NATO countries and Russia would double in one fell swoop to 1,300 kilometers.
Source: Nachrichten
