Officials have reportedly listed the ?threat? by Russia as a reason to join the US-led military bloc
The draft bill on Finland’s NATO membership does not include any restrictions on the bloc’s bases and deployment of nuclear weapons on its soil to deter Russia, Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported on Wednesday, citing foreign policy and security sources.
According to Iltalehti, Finland’s draft law on NATO membership is “practically ready” and will be submitted for consultation in two weeks.
The draft considers nuclear weapons to be an important part of the bloc’s deterrence against Russia. Sources quoted by the outlet say that it would be difficult to create a defense plan for Finland in NATO if, for example, nuclear-capable bombers cannot be sent into the country’s airspace.
Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto stated this month that Helsinki has received assurances from the US, UK and “key European countries” that the alliance will help Finland even before it joins the military bloc.
“I would think that any direct threat to Finland would also be helped by these partners, even if we are not yet members of NATO,” the minister said.
US Ambassador to Finland Douglas Hickey was quoted by Politico last month as saying he is confident that Finland and Sweden will join NATO by the end of the year.
A historically non-aligned country, Finland, along with neighboring Sweden, applied to join NATO after the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in February. The bloc formally invited both nations to become members at the end of June.
Accession will be completed only after ratification by the organization’s 30 member states. So far, 28 NATO countries have ratified the membership of both Sweden and Finland, and Turkey and Hungary have not yet done so.
Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference in Prague that “Finland is not a country where terrorists roam freely”, but Sweden is “a place where terror thrives”.
On October 22, Turkish state news media Anadolu Agency reported that Finland was preparing to send a delegation to the country on Tuesday. According to the newspaper, the talks focused on the extradition of Kurdish militants, as this is an important issue for Ankara.
In June, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO would only increase tensions between Russia and the West.
(RT.com)
Source: sn.dk