(Helsinki) Finland’s parliament on Wednesday began debating NATO membership, which is “highly likely” now after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Posted at 8:25 am
Updated at 10:44 AM
Moscow has threatened to bolster its military assets, including nuclear, in the Baltic region if Finland, which has a 1,300 km border with Russia, or Sweden join the US-led military coalition.
But Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday that “it is time to find solutions” and that “unity is the best guarantee of security”. And I estimated last week that the decision to join NATO or not will be made in less than a month.
Finland’s European Affairs Minister Titi Toborainen acknowledged on Friday that it was “highly likely” that Finland would be a candidate.
Long divided on the issue, 200 members of the Finnish parliament, Eduskunta, appear to be mostly in favor of membership, according to media findings, which found only 12 opposition.
“It is clear that Russia’s actions have brought us very close to a military alignment,” because Moscow “has become cruel, unpredictable and aggressive,” said Ante Lindtmann, a parliamentarian from the ruling Social Democratic Party, during the debate, without going so far. As much as he announces the reversal of his movement, he is historically reluctant to join NATO.
Ecologist At Harjan, for his part, indicated that his party supports joining NATO.
During the first hour of discussion, only the Left Alliance, a minor partner in the ruling coalition, opposed membership, which he said would put Finland on the front line in the event of a Russian attack.
Without expressing an official recommendation, the government’s “white paper” submitted last week to parliamentarians emphasized that only NATO membership makes it possible to take advantage of the Article 5 “umbrella” of collective defense.
Although it departed from its strict neutrality at the end of the Cold War and joined the European Union in 1995, the Scandinavian country is today only a partner in NATO. According to the white paper, joining the 30-member coalition would provide a “much greater” deterrent against a Russian attack.
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“It seems that the Finns have made up their minds, and there is already a large majority in favor of joining NATO,” Titi Toborainen noted on Friday.
Opinion polls show that nearly two-thirds of the 5.5 million Finns now support the idea, nearly three times as many as in pre-war Ukraine.
“I was opposed to NATO membership, but because of this situation I am now more in favor of it,” Sophia Lindblom, 24, said Wednesday as she walked her dog in central Helsinki. “Membership will provide a form of security.”
In the adjacent Senate Square, Voka Mostonen, 69, noted that the invasion of Ukraine had “completely changed” her opinion, now pro-NATO: “I feel completely safe, but I am really afraid.”
Moscow is trying to discourage the approach of its former Grand Duchess, who has already won the support of most NATO members for possible membership.
“Being a member of NATO cannot enhance their national security. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that (Finland and Sweden) will be the front line of NATO.” These countries “must understand the consequences of such action for our bilateral relations and for the European security architecture as a whole.”
The Finnish decision is being followed with great interest in Sweden, which appears to be making its decision based on the choice of Helsinki.
Many analysts expect a nomination from Finland, and possibly Sweden, soon enough for the NATO summit in late June in Madrid.
The consensus of member states is required. If a question mark remained about Hungary’s choice of Viktor Orban, the most favorable to Russia from other Europeans, then NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg estimated that there would be no obstacle.
Helsinki expects it will take four months to a year to ratify the membership procedures.
If this happened, the land border between NATO countries and Russia would suddenly double, reaching nearly 2,600 kilometers.
Finland, Russian for just over a century (1809-1917), shares a rich history with its large neighbour, which was marked by heroic resistance during World War II, and especially during the Winter War of 1939-1940.
