Finnish MPs will discuss the country’s possible NATO membership late Monday night.
By around 4:20 p.m.
In view of the situation, the session – which is of unlimited duration – will continue until 2 pm on Tuesday and will resume after 8 am A formal vote on NATO’s plans is expected to take place on Tuesday.
Although many MPs have spoken, there are still a handful who have not publicly revealed their position on the matter.
No choice
The Left Alliance, the party that has been the least eager to join the military alliance, says the party’s MP said it would support the change. Aino-Kaisa Pekonen.
"In this situation, I see no other option to guarantee the security of Finland and the Finns," he said.
"Without commitment, Finland would hardly be left out of the conflict between NATO and Russia. Perhaps it is better to belong to NATO insiders than to be between the two sides." Pekonen said.
At the same time as support for joining NATO seems to be quite clear among legislators, some members of parliament have already begun to focus on Finland’s future role in the alliance.
In particular, members of the Left Alliance have said that Finland should not host nuclear weapons or permanent NATO bases.
However, the Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen (Cen) pointed out that the issue of nuclear weapons has not been included in the alliance membership agreements with any country, including Norway.
Kaikkonen said that those things can be outlined separately if necessary.
"Without separate declarations, I can say that we are not going to ask for nuclear weapons on Finnish soil, and no one [such plans]," Kaikkonen said.
Putin: Finland’s accession to NATO is not a threat
Meanwhile, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the possible NATO membership of Finland and Sweden is not a threat to Russia, but that expanding military infrastructure in these areas could "evokes our response."
"What that [response] will be – we will see what threats are created for us," Putin said in a Kremlin palace, according to Reuters. "Problems arise for no reason. We will respond accordingly."
Sweden announced on Monday afternoon that it would also apply for NATO membership.
The Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson said that the government had formally decided to apply for NATO membership,
He said that the country intends to submit its application on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, at the same time as Finland is applying.
According to Andersson, it should not take more than a year for Sweden to become a full member.
President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) made their official NATO statement on Sunday.
Source: The Nordic Page