Foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) said on Saturday that the threshold for Finland’s NATO membership could rise in the future if Finland does not try to join now.
In Yle TV1’s Ykkösaamu chat program, the Finnish Foreign Minister said that it is difficult to imagine a more dramatic change in the European security environment than the events that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He said that the war in Ukraine had forced Finland to re-evaluate its security policy.
"What worse should happen for Finland to even consider NATO?" he asked.
Leader of the Green Party Maria Ohisalo has also recently supported Finland ‘s accession to the Western Military Alliance.
It has been disputed in Finland what kind of defense guarantees Finland would have during a possible application process. Finland is currently a partner of NATO and will no longer be covered by Article 5, which states that an attack on one member state is an attack on all.
Haavisto told Yle that Finland must rely on its own defense capabilities in a possible application to join the alliance.
The parliamentary debate on NATO membership began in Finland this week. These discussions culminate in whether or not Finland wants to join the alliance. According to Yle’s Saturday analysis, the majority of MPs – 114 – support Finland’s NATO membership. The share of supporters is expected to increase as more and more Social Democrats and downtown MPs reveal their positions.
Russia has warned both Finland and Sweden "consequences" On joining NATO.
Haavisto told Yle TV1 that it would be good for neighboring countries to synchronize their NATO membership decisions. However, he pointed out that Finland a "a sovereign state makes its own security and defense decisions."
President Niinistö has said that Finland will probably make a decision on NATO membership well in advance of the alliance’s Madrid summit, which will be held at the end of June.
Source: The Nordic Page