Finland to consider new defence & security measures including NATO membership

Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, on Thursday, stated that his country is preparing a white paper on defence & security and the Parliament will then discuss different options including possible membership in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership.

"We are preparing a white paper over defence & security and the Parliament will then discuss different options including possible membership in NATO," he added. 

It should be mentioned here that a poll conducted earlier this year suggested that more than 40% of the population in Finland opposes the accession of their country into NATO. As per a survey conducted by Kantar TNS, 42% of Finnish citizens stated they do not want to join the alliance, falling below the 50% threshold for the first time in the outlet's polling history, Sputnik reported.

In contrast, 28% stated they would prefer Finland to join NATO, up by 9 points from the 2019 figures and the highest support rate recorded by the outlet so far. 

Door remains open for Finland to join military alliance: NATO chief

Last year in the month of October, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the door remains open for Finland to join the military alliance. He also referred to Finland as a 'close partner', praising the country's 'sturdy defence', citing interoperability and major exercises as examples.

Stoltenberg also said that it is all about NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea and the Baltic states and the role of Finland and Sweden is very important.

About NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a 30-member intergovernmental military alliance. The organisation was established in the aftermath of World War II to implement the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed on 4 April 1949. The alliance is a collective security arrangement in which NATO's independent member states commit to defending each other in the event of an external attack. Since the end of the Cold War, the alliance has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, among other places.

(Image: AP)