Finland has participated in numerous high-level international meetings since the Russian occupation of Ukraine. Foreign minister Pekka Haavisto told Yle that security policy has dominated the agenda of all NATO member meetings since the start of the war in Ukraine.
He said that Finland has been very open about the dramatic change in Finnish public opinion towards a military alliance.
"We are very open about this and we hope so [Nato countries] we understand the situation in Finland and the discussions taking place here," he said, adding that he believed that many countries were closely following the development of these domestic debates.
About 62 per cent of the respondents said they supported Finland’s application to NATO’s military alliance, according to a poll published by Yle on Monday.
When asked if some members of the union would oppose Finland’s possible application for membership, he replied "Finland is seen as a country that takes care of its own defense." He also stated that at the recent NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting, Finland’s representatives were a "by first name" with other participants.
President Sauli NiinistöRecent meetings in London and the White House have shown that the door to NATO was open.
Last week, Haavisto made a trip to Turkey, a NATO state that also has friendly relations with Russia.
Haavisto refused to speculate on how Turkey would react to possible offers from Finland to join the military alliance.
"I believe that Turkey will work closely with the West and NATO." he said, adding that Turkey has sent drones to Ukraine.
Source: The Nordic Page