Most Finns would not make significant concessions to Turkey from joining NATO
PUBLIC SUPPORT as NATO membership has once again crept to a record high in Finland.
Helsingin Sanomat on Monday reported According to the latest poll, 79 percent of citizens want the country to join the defense alliance, an increase of six percentage points since the beginning of May.
According to the newspaper, the increase coincided with a decrease in the share of uncertain respondents.
Only 11% of respondents expressed opposition to membership and 10% were unsure.
Helsingin Sanomat also surveyed the public’s views on the possibility of amending legislation or compromising certain key principles in response to Turkey’s membership conditions. As many as 70 percent of Finns said that Finland should not do either to meet Turkey’s demands. Only 14 percent, on the other hand, felt that the country should not rule out such concessions.
The strictest views on the demands were found by supporters of the Green Alliance and the Left Alliance. Supporters of basic Finns reacted the most to Turkey’s demands.
Kantar Public interviewed 1,003 people on 20-22. June.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has opposed the attempts by Finns and Swedes to join NATO, arguing that the countries are not harsh enough against terrorism.
The demands have slowed down a process that was only expected to reach a key milestone at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain on 28-30 October. June. For example, the Defense Alliance must adopt a new strategic concept that will guide its military and political development for the next decade or so.
The Finnish delegation to the summit will consist of the President Sauli NiinistöMinister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen (Center) and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Green).
Aleksi Teivainen – HT