PRIME MINISTER Sanna Marin (SDP) on Tuesday confirmed that Finland intends to impose no conditions on its membership in Nato.
Marin was asked whether the country is willing to host nuclear weapons on its soil in peacetime at a news conference held in conjunction with the 74th session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki on Tuesday, 1 November.
“Finland has stated that it intends to impose no advance conditions, and we aren’t discussing this actively. We’re waiting for our accession, and these are matters that can be discussed later,” she was quoted saying by Helsingin Sanomat.
Senior Finnish policy makers have stated previously that the country should refrain from imposing any national limitations to its membership in the military alliance.
“What’s most important is that Finland is looking to become a member of Nato. Full stop. Nothing more and nothing less. We have no special demands or reservations that we’d set as conditions to our membership,” President Sauli Niinistö outlined in September.
Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday reminded that the position does not mean nuclear weapons are set to be placed in Finland. The United States, the newspaper pointed out, has stated that it has no plans to place nuclear weapons in countries that joined the alliance after 1997. Nor are there military or strategic reasons for placing them in Finland, especially because of the risks that could arise in the event of a conflict from their proximity to Russia.
Marin on Tuesday said she and her colleagues also discussed measures to alleviate the energy crises faced by Moldova and Ukraine.
“We have to make sure that all critical infrastructure, like energy and water, are seen to so that people in Ukraine can live a normal life to the greatest extent possible in the current circumstances,” she told.
The prime minister was also asked about the pending membership applications of Finland and Sweden. The applications have been ratified by all but two members of the alliance, Hungary and Turkey.
“It’s important that this happens preferably sooner rather than later,” she said, adding that the timetable is not up to Finland or Sweden.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
