Finland’s Center Party Nears Decision to Back NATO Application

[Boats]

Finland’s Center Party Nears Decision to Back NATO Application
By: Leo Laikola - Bloomberg News - 04-09-22
Re: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...to-application

Finland’s Center Party leadership rallied around a potential NATO membership bid in yet another sign the Nordic country is nearing an application to join the defense alliance following neighboring Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The party, a junior member in a five-party cabinet run by Social Democrat Prime Minister Sanna Marin, is a key political force in Finland with widespread support in rural areas. The party has not previously advocated joining the bloc, traditionally leaning toward fostering a trade relationship with Russia instead.

Its leader, Finance Minister Annika Saarikko, on Saturday asked party dignitaries for their approval to take any security-policy decisions deemed necessary, including an application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, should the government want to take that step. She was backed by Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen.

“Finland’s security environment changed in the early hours of Feb. 24 as Russia launched its attack” on Ukraine, Saarikko said in a speech distributed by email on Saturday. “Two cornerstones of our security -- a rule-based international order and a functioning relationship with Russia -- crumbled beneath our feet.”

The Center Party is due to take an official decision on Saarikko’s proposal during the weekend.

Among Finland’s biggest parties, the opposition National Coalition has been a NATO proponent for years, while the Social Democrats are re-evaluating their stance of shunning the idea of membership. The anti-immigration Finns Party, also in the opposition, became supporters of NATO entry following Russia’s attack.

Read More: Swedes, Finns Worry About Security Risk on the Path to NATO
Re: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...e-path-to-nato

Note: Diplomats cite risks in ‘grey zone’ between bid and acceptance
Russia has repeatedly warned both nations against joining NATO
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Personal note: I feel they will both sign up with NATO just to cover their ass
should things get dicy in the near future. Russia's threats of consequence
may delay one or the other to reconsider that issue but in the long run
NATO will work with them for added assurance.