Pertti Torstila " There is a lively debate on Nato membership in Finland"Geneva 28.10.2009

Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
October 29, 2009

Secretary of State Pertti Torstila
Speech to the GCSP International Training Course (ITC),
Geneva, 28 October 2009

Finland's Way through the Cold War to the European Union
[Excerpts]

-[T]he Government's White Paper on Finnish Security and Defence Policy...was presented to the Parliament this summer. The document assesses the changing global environment and defines Finland's policies on security and defence, stressing the importance of comprehensive security.
-NATO has a special role as a transatlantic defence and security organization. NATO is an important partner for Finland and we will develop our partnership and cooperation with NATO, retaining the possibility of applying for membership.

Europe...needs NATO, and Finland is a strong supporter of the Euro-American transatlantic link....

We must seek more efficient cooperation and coordination of activities between the EU and NATO and try to avoid duplication of capabilities or actions. Closer EU–NATO cooperation facilitates successful crisis management....

We signed the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Framework Document right after its creation in 1994. NATO's enlargement has significantly increased stability in Europe, not least in our vicinity around the Baltic Sea. Today's NATO is the most important military security cooperation organisation in the world....

There is a lively debate on NATO membership in Finland. NATO's objectives, tasks and responsibilities are compatible with the foreign and security policy goals of Finland. Some 80 per cent our crisis management troops serve in NATO-led operations, including Afghanistan and Kosovo. Finnish armed forces have been standardized to match the material and operational specifications of NATO....

An assessment on the effects of Finland's possible NATO membership was made recently by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The conclusion – repeated in the Government White Paper – was that there are strong grounds for considering Finland's membership. But public support for NATO membership remains low. More than 60 per cent of Finns see no need to join the Alliance and continue to be satisfied with a national defence capability.

We are actively participating in NATO's crisis management operations abroad.