Finland Times

 

The president Sauli Niinistö spoke in the Yle morning breakfast programme on Saturday. Photo - Lehtikuva.

President Sauli Niinistö on Saturday said a detailed review should take place before taking any decision regarding Finland’s stand on joining NATO.

 

Speaking at the Yle Ykkösaamu (Yle morning breakfast programme), the president also said that the issue should be put to a national consensus through public voting before taking any decision, reported Yle.

 

Niinistö said there would be a discussion at the president’s summer residence at Kultaranta after a week where the purposes of NATO membership together with its negative impacts would be discussed.

 

The discussion should not to be limited to only three different opinions, such as I am in favour of NATO; It is not the time to join NATO; or I will not talk about NATO, Niinistö said, adding that the issue regarding Russia’s role in this regard should also be brought under consideration.

 

The president pointed out that Finland would share half of Russia’s land border with NATO countries were it to join the alliance and that if Sweden joins NATO, the Baltic Sea would be NATO’s inland sea, where Russia would be at the end.

 

“We must be able to understand a bit of what is involved through the eyes of the Russians and what they would do, therefore,” said Niinistö, adding that protection of Finnish resources should also be considered.

 

He also observed that Sweden is at a higher level in marine and air defence and Finland has a skilled army.

 

Earlier, on May 13, the heads of Finnish political parties expressed support for continuing the non-alliance stance in the country’s foreign security and defence policy and said the Ukraine crisis has not changed the position on need for NATO membership. 

 

Although the outgoing Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen, who is looking for a post in the European Commission, supports that Finland should join NATO, not a single party chairperson raised a hand when asked about the issue during a discussion with MTV and the Federation of Finnish Financial Services.

 

On April 12, in an interview with Yle, Prime Minister Katainen said he believed that Finland should seek NATO membership.

 

In a sharp reaction to Katainen’s remark, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said the country did not need NATO membership.

 

Tuomioja said Ukraine crisis has not changed the position of Finland’s security policy. Joining NATO would only bring more problems.

 

The foreign minister, also a leader of the ruling ally Suomen, reckoned that Katainen could express himself more freely as a Kokoomus member because his tenure was coming to an end.

 

Katainen announced on April 5 his decision to end his 10-year leadership of the Kansallinen Kokoomus in June.