Finland Times

 

Guards Band participated in the Winter War 75 th anniversary celebration in Helsinki on Sunday. Photo – Lehtikuva.

Prime Minister Alexander Stubb at a seminar on Sunday praised the miraculous significance of Winter War.

 

The seminar was held in Kuhmo to commemorate the 75 anniversary of Winter War.

 

In his speech at the seminar, the premier reminded the country of its experience of having been left alone and said Finland should never again allow such a situation to arise.

 

The prime minister said the Winter War is mentioned, partly erroneously, as a symbol of Finland’s ability to cope alone.

 

Prime Minister Alexander Stubb spoke at the Kuhmo Winter War seminar on Sunday. Photo – Str / Lehtikuva.

However, from the experience of the war, Stubb pointed out, it is important to create and maintain solid relations with the western values of community in which, as a part of it, the country has always wanted to grow since its independence.

 

Although the premier pointed at his position on alliances, he did not actually mention NATO in his speech.

 

The prime minister’s speech on the dangers of being left alone received support from a professional soldier.

 

Speaker of Parliament Eero Heinäluoma (left.) And MP Lasse Hautala placed wreath at the graveyard of the hero. Photo – Lehtikuva.

“Defending your own country alone is a great heroic story. However, in the eyes of a soldier, it is a worst possible scenario,” said Commander of the Northern Command Major General Jorma Ala-Sankila.

 

Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party) Member of Parliament Seppo Kääriäinen, who brought greetings from the parliament to the ceremony, stressed the importance of Finland to keep away from conflicts. Kääriäinen said a realistic foreign policy for Finland is to remain outside conflicts, crises and wars.

 

Kääriäinen said the country has only friends and partners.”Good neighbourly relations are a priority,” stressed Kääriäinen.

 

The 75th anniversary of the beginning of Winter War was commemorated across the country marking the attack by the then Soviet Union on November 30, 1939, three months after the outbreak of the World War II.

 

Winter War celebration on Sunday. Photo – Lehtikuva.

The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the league on December 14, 1939.

 

The Soviet Union sought principally to claim parts of Finnish territory demanding, amongst others, concessions that Finland cedes substantial border territories in exchange for land elsewhere, claiming security reasons, primarily the protection of Leningrad, which was only 30 km from the Finnish border.

 

Thanks to the high morale in the Finnish forces, Finland repelled Soviet attacks for several months, much longer than the Soviets expected.

 

More than 150,000 lives were lost in the war.