Finland’s parliament on Wednesday opened a debate on whether to seek NATO membership, after the Russia-Ukraine conflict sparked a surge in political and public support for joining the military alliance.
Finland’s prime minister said that her country now needed to decide quickly on whether to apply for membership.
“The time for solutions is here,” Sanna Marin said, adding: “Unity is the best guarantee of security.”
She had last week said Finland’s decision would happen “within weeks, not within months.”
Sweden is also discussing whether to submit a membership bid following the start of the Ukraine crisis on February 24.
The 200 MPs in Finland’s Eduskunta last week received a government-commissioned “white paper” that assessed the implications of NATO membership alongside other security options, such as increased bilateral defense agreements.
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.
It said the “deterrent effect” on Finland’s defense would be “considerably greater” inside the bloc, while noting that membership also carried obligations for Finland to assist other NATO states.
After two decades of public support for NATO membership remaining steady at 20-30 percent, the war sparked a surge among those in favor to over 60 percent, according to opinion polls.
Public statements gathered by Finnish media suggest half of Finland’s 200 MPs now support membership, while only around 12 percent of the them oppose.
Patrouille de France of Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace perform at the Kaivopuisto Airshow in Helsinki, Finland, on Aug. 6, 2021. The Kaivopuisto Airshow 2021 was held here on Friday evening.Photo:Xinhua
