Finland and Sweden are striving for unbound NATO membership
HELSINKI – Finland and Sweden have chosen to pursue separate tracks and speeds in order to promote their interests in joining NATO.
Finland had indicated that it would prefer a solution that would make the two Nordic non-aligned states “jump together” in NATO.
However, Sweden has decided to explore a number of security-related alternatives, including deepening Nordic defense co-operation and urging the EU to develop an improved defense policy to offer greater military protection to EU member states bordering the very sensitive Baltic and northern regions. .
Unlike Sweden, the Finnish government has set the wheels in motion to speed up its application to join NATO in light of increased security tensions in the region heightened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told opposition party leaders, the majority of whom support the government on this issue, that she expects a decision on NATO membership soon.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted Finland to review our security strategy,” Marin told a joint news conference in Stockholm on April 13, hosted by Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. “I will not give any kind of timetable for when we will make our decision, but I think it will go pretty fast. Within weeks, not within months. The security landscape has completely changed. ”
Andersson noted increased defense cooperation with Finland, and said that Sweden and Finland can be expected to decide whether to apply for NATO membership independently and according to different timetables.
The Swedish government is expected to submit its national security report to the Riksdag, the country’s legislative assembly, before 31 May.
“What we need to do is to carefully think through what is in Sweden’s best long-term interest, and what we need to do to guarantee our national security, our sovereignty and secure peace in this new increased tension and situation,” said Andersson.
Finland is expected to make a decision to join NATO before the alliance’s two-day summit, which is expected to begin in Madrid on 29 June.
Sweden’s and Finland’s existing partner status, within their framework of cooperation with the alliance, means that none of the countries is covered by NATO’s Article 5, which considers that a hostile attack on a member state is an attack on everyone.
The Sarin government presented its updated report on defense and security risk to Eduskuna, the Finnish Legislative Assembly, on 13 April. The report, which outlines the pros and cons of joining NATO, serves as an opening salute in a new national debate on joining NATO.
The report described the “fundamental changes” that Finland would need to make in its foreign and security policy to join the military alliance. It identified the main benefits of joining NATO to include security guarantees embedded in the mutual defense pledge as well as increased security cooperation through the Alliance.
The risks and disadvantages mentioned in the report included the risk of a hugely negative reaction from Russia if Finland decides to join NATO.
“If Finland and Sweden become members of NATO, the threshold for using military force in the Baltic Sea region will be raised, which would increase stability in the region in the long term,” the report said.
Finland’s tremor over a hostile response from the Kremlin was confirmed on April 14 when Dmitry Medvedev, Vice-President of Russia’s Security Council, signaled that Russia would abandon its nuclear-weapon-free zone policy for the Baltic Sea.
“Russia would need to strengthen its defense in the Baltic Sea region. This would include the deployment of nuclear weapons, if Finland and Sweden were to join NATO. In this situation, there could no longer be any nuclear-weapon-free status for the Baltics – the balance must be restored,” he said. Medvedev.
In a survey conducted by the Finnish Business Policy and Forum (FBPF), released on 12 April, about 84% of Finns considered Russia to be a “significant military threat” to Finland and a constant threat to Europe and the Baltic Sea and the far north. regions.
A March survey conducted by the PDB showed that a record 60% of Finns were in favor of joining NATO, compared with 26% in October 2021.
Finland and Sweden joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in 1994 and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997. The military-non-aligned Nordic states have been named “most active partners” by NATO.
Sweden has contributed to the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo and the NATO Mission Iraq. Finland, for its part, has contributed to NATO-led operations and missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Sweden and Finland are among six countries, known as Enhanced Opportunity Partners under the Partnership Interoperability Initiative, which contribute to NATO operations and other alliance projects.
Gerard O’Dwyer reports on Scandinavian affairs for Defense News.