The president and prime minister of Finland said Thursday in favor of an accession “without delay” to NATOan important step towards a bid from the Nordic country that will normally be announced on Sunday.
“Being a member of NATO would strengthen Finland’s security. As a NATO member, Finland would also strengthen the Alliance as a whole. Finland must be a candidate for membership without delay,” President Sauli Niinisto and the Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
If we join NATO my response to Russia would be: ‘you caused this, look in the mirror
On Sunday the two officials have planned to give a press conference on “decisions concerning Finland’s security policy.”
The position taken by the two leaders marks the trend that the country will follow, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia and has a painful past with its powerful neighbor.
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, made Finnish public opinion in favor of joining the Alliance.
The same is true of Sweden, which has also stayed out of military alliances for decades and will announce its accession in the coming days, probably after a meeting of Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s Social Democratic party scheduled for Sunday.
Right now, 76% of the 5.5 million Finns are in favor of joining NATO, according to a poll published on Monday. Before the war in Ukraine this percentage was around 25%.
In Parliament, the majority of the 200 deputies is also in favor. The formal decision on accession must be taken by a Council on security and foreign policy that brings together the head of state, the prime minister and several ministers.
“Look in the mirror”
“Joining NATO is not a decision that goes against anyone,” the Finnish president said Wednesday night, responding to Russian warnings on the matter.
For the official, who for years has opted for East-West dialogue, Russia can only blame itself for seeing its neighbor join the Alliance.
“If we join NATO my response to Russia would be: ‘You caused this, look in the mirror,'” the president said.
On Tuesday, the Finnish Parliament’s Defense Committee concluded that NATO was “the best option” for Finland’s security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Subject to forced neutrality by Moscow during the Cold War, Finland joined the European Union (EU) and NATO’s Partnership for Peace after the end of the Soviet Union, but is not a member of the Alliance.
Finland was a Russian province (1809-1917) and was also invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939.
“Hopefully Sweden, our close partner, will come to the same conclusion as us and we can be candidates together,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said on his blog.
We closely follow all actions that could modify in one way or another the configuration of the Alliance
Both Finland and Sweden are concerned about the Russian reaction to their application for membership and the two countries have tried to obtain guarantees and protection for the months prior to their formal entry into the Alliance. One proof is the agreements signed on Wednesday between Finland and the UK for mutual assistance.
The parliaments of the 30 member countries of the Alliance must ratify the accession of the new countries and the process can take several months.
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Meanwhile the two countries, both members of the EU, can also feel supported by article 42.7 that provides for mutual assistance in European treaties, stressed Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.
So far, the Russian reaction has been vague. She only said that “without a doubt” he would be a threat.
“We are closely monitoring all actions that could modify in one way or another the configuration of the Alliance near our borders,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
AFP
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