He added that issues related to the export of defense equipment will be discussed at joint meetings of the President and the Committee on Foreign and Security Policy.
The European Union announced on Wednesday first round of sanctions targeted at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sanctions, officials saidare the first step in punishing the 351 Russian legislators who supported the recognition of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in Ukraine, and the 27 individuals and communities who have contributed to the overthrow of Ukraine.
Marin expressed support for the gradual introduction of sanctions and assured that the bloc is ready to tighten them if Russian military action increases.
“[The EU’s] The goal is definitely for Russia to continue the diplomatic dialogue, he said, and declined to comment on what kind of military action triggered the escalation of sanctions. – Tomorrow we will discuss with the European Council how to proceed with sanctions.
He was also asked to assess how the situation would affect Finland’s likelihood of applying to NATO and the fate of the Hanhikivi nuclear power plant, the energy project of the Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom.
He said that Finland would continue to hold the opportunity to apply for membership in the military alliance.
“At the moment, there are no acute discussions about Finland’s possibility to apply for NATO,” he said, emphasizing that the application must have strong public support and the unanimous support of Parliament. “Such decisions are not in a hurry.”
“You can’t influence us from the outside. We make our decisions from our own national starting points,” he added. “Russia’s actions have no effect on those decisions.”
Marin estimates that a new safety policy assessment of the nuclear power project led by Fennovoima is important. He decided not to give a direct answer when asked if the permitting processes for the project should be postponed, recalling that the project is private.
“An assessment is made and then the situation is looked at,” he said. “We act according to the law: this is a private project and it is important that all evaluations are done carefully and decisions are made based on them.”
On Wednesday, Marin submitted a statement by the Prime Minister on foreign and security policy to Parliament. According to the announcement, Finland is not threatened by a military threat, but it must prepare for the use of force or threats of force.
“I can’t go through all the details in the public broadcast, but Finland is really preparing,” he pointed out. “And we need to prepare more, it also needs to be recognized.”
The parliamentary debate that followed the announcement repeatedly turned to energy independence from Russia, According to Helsingin Sanomat.
Jussi Halla-aho The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs (PS) called on Finland to avoid any kind of energy dependence that would make it subject to “blackmail and pressure”.
“Moving away from fossil energy will help both our climate and our geopolitical position. Our economic and material dependence on the Kremlin is a risk in all circumstances, including with regard to nuclear power, ”said Atte HarjanneVice-President of the Green Alliance.
“We can’t depend on external energy or digital components, let alone food,” he said. Sari Essayahchairman of the Christian Democrats.
The major parties reiterated their disapproval of Russia’s approach.
– Spheres of influence do not belong to the world of the 21st century. We resolutely oppose any attempt from any direction to restrict our country’s sovereign right to define its own security policy, the former foreign minister said. Erkki Tuomioja (SDP).
“Ukraine’s war must not reinforce Russia’s experience that power politics and sphere of influence are worthwhile,” he added. Mikko Savola (Center).
Such statements provoked criticism from Halla-kur. “We can declare that in today’s world there is no room for power politics and influence thinking, but these declarations do not change the facts,” he said, recalling that there are other countries that are similar for geographical reasons. Finland’s interests.
“It is in our own strategic interests to have compassion for these countries.”
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page