Finland is no longer a non-aligned country. Before the dumbfounded look of Russiathe President and the First minister have spoken in favor of ingress of the nordic country on the NATO. This position of the Social Democratic Government is an essential requirement to continue with the accession process which, according to the country’s presidency, will be officially announced on Sunday. Sweden observe closely since, if there are no setbacks, it will accompany the sister country in entering the Atlantic Alliance.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, started last February 24thblew up the historical neutrality of the two Nordic countries, frightened by the possibility that the Russian giant, with which they share borders, could launch a military attack, in the style of the one it has carried out on Ukrainian territory.
“Being a member of NATO would strengthen Finland’s security. As one of its members, Finland would also strengthen the Alliance as a whole. Finland must be a candidate for accession without delay,” they signed in a joint statement on President Sauli Niinistoand the Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Although predictable, both leaders had kept their position out of public debate so as not to influence their fellow citizens. “We have needed time for Parliament and society as a whole to establish their positions on the matter. Also to establish close international contacts with NATO and its member countries, as well as with Sweden. We wanted to give the discussion the space it required,” they have said. indicated. The NATO accession It was already an issue on the table in Finland and Sweden for many years that the war in Ukraine has made it a priority.
“against nobody”
After the repeated threats from Russia if they decided to join the Atlantic blocthe finnish president He has stressed that the decision is not “against anyone”, in clear reference to Moscow. “If we want to maximize our security, it means maximizing the defense of our country,” Niinisto explained during a press conference, adding that “no one can be offended if someone wants to defend himself.” The president has denounced that Russia has decided to try to take away the power of decision from Finland in its own defense by demanding that the Atlantic Alliance does not expand further eastward. “If we decide to join (NATO), one possible answer could be that you caused this. Look in the mirror (Putin),” Niinisto said.
From Brussels, the Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavistoconsiders that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has profoundly altered the security environment both in the EU and in Finland and that the time has come for his country to take a decision on joining NATO. “Until now we did not have popular support, but this spring everything has changed. People feel threatened by the use of unconventional weapons, because no matter how much conventional defense one has, it is not enough and greater collaboration is considered necessary,” he explained. during an appearance before the foreign commission of the European Parliament scheduled months ago to talk about the Arctic but has ended up focusing on the security situation in Europe and on accession to the Atlantic Alliance, reports Silvia Martinez.
According to Haavisto, although his country, which shares a land border with Russia of more than 1,300 kilometers, does not face “a direct and imminent threat”, the invasion launched by the Kremlin has opened a deep national debate about the impact of the war on its security. “There are five issues that have changed since February 24 and the first is the unpredictable behavior of Russia. It seems that it is willing to carry out operations of high risk for Russia itself and that would result in a high number of victims & rdquor; , he explained, also pointing to other elements such as the Russian pressure on neighboring countries with the troop deploymentthe possible use of nuclear or chemical weapons or the fact that it does not respect the rules of war, as evidenced by the war crimes committed and in the process of being investigated.
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All these elements, the Finnish representative believes, have permeated public opinion in his country and hastened the debate on an accession that had been on the table for years. “70% of public opinion is in favor and the Finnish political groups have echoed it & rdquor ;. As he has said, if his country joins the Atlantic Alliance it will contribute to stabilizing the Baltic area and northern Europe and it will be a “good ally & rdquor ;.
The next step is that the rest of the coalition government and the Eduskunta (Parliament) give their official support to formalize the request, which must subsequently be approved by the 30 NATO countries.