Finlands parliament Wednesday starts debating whether to seek NATO membership, after Russias invasion of Ukraine sparked a surge in political and public support for joining the bloc.<\/p>\n
Despite Russia warning of a nuclear build-up in the Baltic should Finland and neighbouring Sweden join the military alliance, Finlands prime minister said that her country would now decide quickly on whether to apply for membership.<\/p>\n
I think it will happen quite fast. Within weeks, not within months, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last week.<\/p>\n
Sweden is also discussing whether to submit a membership bid following Russias February 24 invasion.<\/p>\n
The 200 MPs in Finlands Eduskunta last week received a government-commissioned white paper that assessed the implications of NATO membership alongside other security options, such as increased bilateral defence agreements.<\/p>\n
The report did not make recommendations but stressed that without NATO membership Finland enjoys no security guarantees, despite currently being a partner to the alliance.<\/p>\n
It said the deterrent effect on Finlands defence would be considerably greater inside the bloc, while noting that membership also carried obligations for Finland to assist other NATO states.<\/p>\n
After two decades of public support for NATO membership remaining steady at 20-30 percent, the war caused a surge in those in favour to over 60 percent, according to opinion polls.<\/p>\n
Public statements gathered by Finnish media suggest half of Finlands 200 MPs now support membership while only around 12 oppose.<\/p>\n
Others say they will announce a position after detailed discussions.<\/p>\n
The Finnish government said it hopes to build a parliamentary consensus over the coming weeks, with MPs due to hear from a number of security experts.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Finlands European Affairs Minister Tytti Tuppurainen said she believed a Finnish application was highly likely.<\/p>\n
But the decision is not yet made, she told Britains Sky News.<\/p>\n
However, the Finns seem to have already made up their mind and there is a huge majority for the NATO membership.<\/p>\n
Many analysts predict Finland could submit a bid in time for a NATO summit in June.<\/p>\n
Any membership bid must be accepted by all 30 NATO states, a process that could take four months to a year.<\/p>\n
Finland has so far received public assurances from Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that NATOs door remains open, and support from several members.<\/p>\n
President Sauli Niinisto saidRussias response could include airspace, territorial violations and hybrid attacks, which Finnish NATO proponents believe the country is well prepared to withstand.<\/p>\n
Finland declared independence in 1917 after 150 years of Russian rule.<\/p>\n
During World War II, its vastly outnumbered army fought off a Soviet invasion, before a peace deal saw it cede several border areas to Moscow.<\/p>\n
The Nordic nation remained neutral during the Cold War in exchange for Soviet guarantees not to invade.<\/p>\n
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Finland firmly aligned itself with the West, by joining the EU and becoming a close partner of NATO.<\/p>\n
Successive Finnish leaders shied away from full membership believing that military non-alignment was the best way to maintain working relations with the Kremlin.<\/p>\n
by Sam KINGSLEY<\/p>\n
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Finnish MPs begin deciding whether to join NATO - Macau Business<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Finlands parliament Wednesday starts debating whether to seek NATO membership, after Russias invasion of Ukraine sparked a surge in political and public support for joining the bloc. Continue reading