With 50,000 signatures, Finland’s civilian initiative to join NATO leads Parliament
A controversial Finnish civilian initiative to join NATO has received over 50,000 votes online as of Saturday, which means it must be voted on by parliament. Finland has never before applied for membership of the Transatlantic Alliance, but the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine have led some Finns to doubt that their nation’s independence is secure without Western reinforcements.
Given that Finland’s membership of NATO would place the alliance directly on Russia’s border, Moscow has warned of the move. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova informed both Finland and Sweden on Friday that there would be “serious military and political consequences” that would require “retaliatory steps” by the Russian Federation if they joined NATO.
“We see Finland’s course in maintaining military freedom of alliance policy as an important factor contributing to stability and security in northern Europe and on the European continent as a whole,” she continued, pointing to “consistent efforts by NATO and some of its members,” primarily the United States, to involve both Finland and Sweden in the alliance. “
But Finland’s ambassador to the United States Mikko Hautala boasted to Fox News on Saturday that “we have one of the best armies in Europe”, insisting that Finland “was not in a position where we will be scared because of a statement” from Moscow.
“We have a strong defense. We have really good international partners,” he said, adding that Russia had threatened Finland over its NATO ambitions for several years.
Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto agreed in an interview with the Finnish media on Saturday, claiming that “we have heard this before” from Russia and suggested that nothing significant would change if NATO extended its border all the way to Russia – other than Moscow recalculating its own defense planning. . The two countries share a 1,340 km (830 km) land border, the longest between Russia and any EU member state.
Since 2012, Finland’s open ministerial website has made it possible for all residents of the country to log in and propose a new bill. If the proposal receives more than 50,000 votes, the Riksdag must take it up for consideration. Finland has a population of over 5.55 million people.
Sweden has been less talkative when it comes to its own plans. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is said to have told the AP that “It is Sweden that itself and independently decides on our security policy line.”
(RT.com)
Source: sn.dk