Finnish MPs back Nato membership bid amid Turkish opposition
Finnish MPs have overwhelmingly backed their government’s decision to join Nato.
Yesterday’s move is a major change to the decades-old policy of military neutrality Finland has followed since the end of the Second World War.
MPs in Helsinki backed Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President Sauli Niinisto’s view that joining Nato would be in Finland’s security interests.
The vote in the 200-seat Eduskunta legislature was regarded as a formality because the Finnish MPs’ approval was not a necessity.
Finland is now expected to sign a formal application and file it with Nato headquarters in Brussels in the coming days.
The Nordic country, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, is being followed by its neighbour Sweden in seeking Nato membership.
However, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced opposition to Finland and Sweden joining.
Turkey, the second largest member of Nato, has criticised the two nations’ hurried attempts to shore up their security by joining the alliance, owing to their stance towards the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist militant movement.
Mr Erdogan has accused both countries of harbouring PKK members, considered to be terrorists by Ankara.
“Neither of these countries have a clear, open attitude towards terrorist organisations. How can we trust them?” the Turkish president said on Monday.
Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde yesterday signed her nation’s application to Nato, a day after the country announced it would seek membership of the alliance.
Ms Linde shared a photo of her signing the document on social media with the caption: “Just signed a historic indication letter to Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg from the Swedish government.”
“Our Nato application is now formally signed,” she added.
“It feels like we have taken a decision that is the best for Sweden.”
Sweden’s move brings the country’s 200 years of military non-alignment to an end.
Finland fought two wars against the Soviet Union during the Second World War, eventually signing away about 10 per cent of its territory in a peace treaty with Moscow.
After the war, the Nordic nation adopted a political policy of military non-alignment. Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, yesterday expressed hope that Nato members would be able to collectively overcome Turkey’s opposition to admitting Sweden and Finland.
He predicted there would be “extremely strong support” among members, while also acknowledging that “Turkey has some objections”.
“I hope Nato will be able to overcome them,” he said.
“But from my side and from the side to the Defence Council, a strong support to this membership.”
Christine Lambrecht, Germany’s Minister of Defence, said intensive talks with Turkey would be needed to overcome the roadblocks in Finland and Sweden’s paths to Nato.
“All decisions regarding Nato accession of Sweden and Finland have to be unanimous,” she said.
“And that’s why it’s also important that we are now very intensively also in talks with Turkey and that the concerns and the arguments that are put forward there are also taken seriously.”
Ms Lambrecht said if “two such strong EU countries” as Sweden and Finland were to join the military alliance it would strengthen the security of all member nations, including Turkey.
Francois Bausch, Luxembourg’s Defence Minister, said “nobody would understand” if the alliance refused to grant membership to Finland and Sweden because, given the values they hold, “they belong inside of Nato and not outside”.
Russia yesterday announced it was expelling two Finnish embassy staff, following a similar move by Helsinki. The Foreign Ministry said it summoned Finland’s ambassador and expressed its “strong protest” against the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from Finland in April.
It also accused Finland of taking a “confrontational course” towards Russia, supplying weapons to Ukrainian forces and “covering up the crimes of Ukrainian nationalists” against civilians.
“The Russian side made a decision on the unacceptability of the further stay in the Russian Federation of two staff members of Finland’s embassy in Moscow,” the ministry said.
Gasum, Finland’s stateowned energy company, said gas supplies from Russia would be halted because it would not pay for gas in roubles, as the Kremlin has demanded.
The Finnish company said it would take a dispute with Russia’s Gazprom energy company to arbitration proceedings.