Finland is ready to discuss the country's possible accession to NATO at the parliamentary level.
This was stated by the President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö in an interview with the American television channel Fox News.
“Now we are open to discussing this issue with our parliament.
We are trying to determine all the circumstances, as well as the risks and advantages, and we are doing this work very effectively and in the shortest possible time, ”said the Finnish president, who is on a visit to the United States.
He drew attention to the fact that public opinion on this issue in Finland and Sweden has changed and that, according to the results of recent opinion polls, the majority of citizens of both countries support joining the alliance.
At the same time, in an interview with PBS, Niinistö noted that the final decision has not yet been made.
“We have a very, very intense and important discussion going on in Finland about NATO, NATO membership and applying.
But, as I said, the discussion is still ongoing, and our parliament is very actively engaged in this.
And in the end, the relevant decision will be made by the parliament,” the president explained.
According to a survey commissioned by the Finnish broadcaster Yle in late February, most people in Finland would like the country to become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance.
53% of respondents were in favor of joining the bloc, 28% were against.
Another 19% could not decide on an answer.
As the broadcaster noted, since 2017, when the previous similar poll was held, support for NATO has grown by 34%.
"Very close partners"
Recall that Sweden and Finland retain the status of neutral countries since the Cold War.
In the case of Finland, this was achieved after diplomatic interaction with the USSR after World War II, in which the Finnish side fought on the side of Nazi Germany.
Nevertheless, despite the non-bloc status and the development of their own defense capabilities, both countries cooperate with NATO.
However, recently, against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Western countries and Russia, media reports and statements by officials have increasingly begun to appear that Helsinki and Stockholm may become new members of the alliance.
NATO headquarters in Brussels
© Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Thus, Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the bloc, said in mid-January that these countries could join the bloc very quickly if they make an appropriate political decision.
“Finland and Sweden are very close partners in the Enhanced Opportunities Program.
We have experience of joint work, joint exercises, joint training.
In most areas, they comply with NATO standards.
Their defense and security institutions are well organized and have a good management system.
So in many ways they are, of course, very close to NATO in all aspects.
In this regard, if they decide to apply, the process can go very quickly, ”Stoltenberg is quoted on the official website of the alliance.
Later, Stoltenberg announced that he had invited Finland and Sweden to a virtual summit of the alliance on the situation around Ukraine, on the territory of which a special operation of the Russian Armed Forces began on February 24.
In turn, US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland also said in January that Washington was ready to discuss with Helsinki and Stockholm their possible entry into NATO.
According to her, the last five presidential administrations in the United States were allegedly ready to start this discussion "at any time."
According to Nuland, both countries can be accepted into the ranks of the North Atlantic Alliance in a shorter period, as they have a high level of democracy.
Earlier, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that Helsinki is ready to ask for NATO membership if the question of national security comes up.
In turn, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde noted that the country's authorities at the moment do not plan to send an application for joining NATO.
"Critical Step"
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the possible admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO would entail retaliatory steps from Moscow.
In particular, on February 25, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, spoke about this.
She noted that NATO countries are looking for new excuses and hide behind each other when it comes to Russia's promise not to expand the bloc to the east.
However, Moscow needs long-term legally binding security guarantees from the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance.
Russian Foreign Ministry
© Konstantin Kokoshkin/Global Look Press
“All OSCE participating States in their national capacity, including Finland and Sweden, reaffirmed the principle that the security of some states should not be built at the expense of the security of other countries.
It is obvious that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, which is primarily, as you well understand, a military bloc, would have serious military and political consequences that would require our country to take reciprocal steps, ”Zakharova emphasized.
Political scientist Alexander Asafov, in an interview with RT, noted that the statements of Finnish President Niinistö about his readiness to discuss joining NATO were dictated by a change in the political situation in Europe due to a special operation in Ukraine.
“Of course, these words of Niinistö and the representatives of Kosovo, who suddenly wanted to join NATO, are all elements of a single process to increase pressure on Russia, including through military-political blocs,” Asafov emphasized.
At the same time, he doubted that any instant decisions could be made on the possible membership of Finland and Sweden in NATO.
“Otherwise, against this background, the lack of active support by the alliance of Ukraine, which requested immediate assistance from NATO and criticized the bloc for its unwillingness to introduce a no-fly zone over its territory, will become even more obvious,” the expert explained.
The next steps of the alliance in this direction will become known after the full-scale NATO summit, which was previously scheduled for the summer of 2022, Asafov said.
“Perhaps at the upcoming NATO summit in June, at which the new doctrine of the bloc was to be discussed, they will move in this direction, but there will most likely not be any immediate or momentary actions.
Of course, if the situation changes, if even more pressure is needed on Russia, perhaps such a decision will be made, especially in relation to Finland, ”the political scientist argues.
In turn, Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with RT, noted that the collective West is taking advantage of the situation around Ukraine in order to win states that previously remained neutral to their side.
“Obviously, the West is consolidating on the basis of anti-Russian policy.
The entry of these countries into NATO will threaten Russia's national security.
Finland took a neutral position towards the Russian Federation for a long time, and relations with it were quite stable, ”said the analyst.
From his point of view, the head of Finland announced some kind of parliamentary discussion of this issue and public opinion polls in order to create the appearance that this decision would be made allegedly by the citizens of the country.
“However, it is obvious that all this will take place under direct pressure from the authorities.
The trend is clear, and it is aimed at containing Russia,” the political scientist says.
The entry of former neutral states into NATO will not help reduce tensions in Europe, Blokhin added.
“Russia will have to rectify this situation at the expense of its military-technical means.
Finland must understand that if it joins NATO, then new risks will appear for it as well.
Obviously, the stakes in this game will be raised, because the inclusion of Finland, which is located in close proximity to the borders of the Russian Federation, into the bloc is a rather critical step, ”concluded Blokhin.