HARVIE:IT’S NO TO NATO OVER NUKES
Greens co-leader says sanctions more useful
THE Greens remain opposed to an independent Scotland joining Nato despite the war in Ukraine, Patrick Harvie has said.
The party’s co-leader insisted he wanted the country to “work in a cooperative way with our neighbours” but said it could be done without becoming a member of the military alliance.
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has forced countries to reassess their defence priorities.
Finland – which shares a land border with Russia – last week announced it would seek to join Nato along with Sweden.
Green opposition to Nato membership is based on the party’s firm rejection of nuclear weapons.
The SNP ditched its own opposition to the alliance a decade ago and is in favour of an independent Scotland becoming a full member.
Speaking to the Record, Harvie said did not see “any appetite” among Green members to change the party’s position.
The MSP – who joined the Scottish Government last year under a powersharing deal between the SNP and Greens – talked up instead the ability of the European Union to impose economic sanctions.
He said: “What I do see is a recognition that strategic cooperation is really important – that our peace and security depends on countries working together.
“One of the interesting things about the current crisis is it’s an attempt to show that coordinated economic measures can be used as an alternative to military intervention.
“An institution like the EU is, in some ways, more critical than Nato in the immediate term.
“In the longer term, we all have to hope that the current threat will end – but we don’t know that, so strategic cooperation for defence purposes is important as well.
“So I doubt very much my party is going to want to ditch its policy on Nato – but I do think there is an appetite for discussion about how do you achieve strategic cooperation for peace-building in a way that will include countries that want to join, and countries that are not part of that.
“Finland and Sweden have worked closely with Nato even though they have not been members.”
Harvie added: “Nuclear weapons don’t keep us safe, they keep us in peril.”