In Iltalehti's election exam, the candidates were asked their position on dangerous NATO operations. The positions of the Left Alliance's Li Andersson and Sdp's Jutta Urpilainen stood out.
Large some of the presidential candidates would be ready to send Finnish soldiers on a mission where they would very likely die.
An audience question was asked about it Iltalehti's election exam on Monday.
Only the candidate of the Left Alliance Lee Andersson and the Sdp candidate Jutta Urpilainen failed to raise their hands as a sign of such readiness.
from Urpi said that if it's about defending another NATO country, Finland obviously has a different responsibility to participate.
If the question is, for example, an operation in the Middle East or Africa, the situation is different.
“Yes, I think that I would like to try to avoid such a decision where I would be consciously sending Finnish soldiers to die. I wouldn't want to be the president supporting that,” he said.
The Left Alliance Lee Andersson reasoned somewhat in the same way.
It is two different things about Andersson to talk about NATO's collective defense and related tasks and NATO operations that are not related to this and are carried out somewhere outside of NATO.
In the latter, Finland has “no obligation whatsoever to participate more or in a different way than before”, Andersson said.
He said that “under no circumstances” would he be ready to send Finns to such operations where the risk assessment would be that people would die very likely.
Andersson emphasized that Finns understand that Finland is committed to defending its allies.
The coalition candidate Alexander Stubb referred to the fact that Finland has so far sent its soldiers to peacekeeping operations, for example the IFOR and SFOR operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the KFOR operation in Kosovo.
For example, while he was serving as foreign minister, a Finnish soldier died in the ISAF operation in Afghanistan.
“We will very likely, if the need requires, send Finnish soldiers to tough operations. We have done it in the past and we will do it in the future,” Stubb said.
The goal is to keep NATO strong. The goal is also that the operations work and that Finnish soldiers do not die, he said.
Voters' association candidate supported by the Greens Pekka Haavisto said for his part that it is the most difficult task for the president when it comes to sending Finnish soldiers to the front somewhere, where the probability of losing life is high.
“I would stick to it, when we act within the scope of NATO's fifth article, we are always involved in defending NATO member countries.”
“In all these other operations, I would consider which operations we participate in and how dangerous places we go there. We can always make that consideration,” he said.
Basic Finns Jussi Halla-aho stressed that Finland belongs to a military alliance, whose member countries are committed to defending allies under attack with their own resources, including soldiers.
“It would be a very strange idea if a member state announced that we only participate in operations where soldiers are not in danger of death. In that sense, this is perhaps a bit of a strange reflection,” he said.
Voters' association and the centrist candidate Olli Rehn stressed that Finland must prepare for the fact that Finland has soldiers to be sent on NATO missions. The military oath now obliges to defend Finland. Instead, a NATO standby force is needed, which can be sent out into the world if necessary.
Independent candidate Mika Aaltola on the other hand stated that of course no one willingly wants to send soldiers to die.
“But war is ugly,” he said, referring to Ukraine.
Aaltola said that if Finland's immediate interests are at stake, and NATO's article five on collective defense is triggered, it is necessary to act in order to maintain credibility.
Christian Democrats Sari Essayah reminded that even the defense of Finland's borders can put a soldier's life in danger.
“Even today, our young conscripts swear that I will not leave my place under any circumstances. It's a pretty strict military oath that young Finns swear.”
Liike Nytin candidate Harry Harkimo stated that it is expected in NATO that the operations will be participated in solidarity now that Finland is part of NATO.
“We are going with the size category we have the opportunity for. I can't see it being decided here individually that we won't go on that NATO operation, even though everyone else is going on it.”
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