Ilta-Sanomat: now NATO will determine what Finns should thinkA journalist from Ilta-Sanomat newspaper interviewed a member of the Finnish parliament and the director of a peacekeeping organization.
The interlocutors of the newspaper told what aspects of Finland's membership in NATO they are concerned about.
Silja PokkiOn the fourth of April, Finland became a full member of NATO.
Most Finns breathed a sigh of relief when the country's foreign minister Pekka Haavisto handed over to the US government a document on joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
However, the executive director of the organization Suomen Rauhanpuolustajat ("Defenders of Peace") Teemu Matinpuro (Teemu Matinpuro) the current situation does not cause joy.
"I liked Finland's non-alignment policy, it was good for us. And now we are joining the nuclear alliance in some way. This will complicate Finland's role as a country that has always advocated nuclear disarmament."
According to Matinpuro, the biggest threats to global security that Finland faces are the climate crisis and the deterioration of the state of nature.
"Investing in the level of security and the level of weapons is not the best option."
According to Matinpuro, by joining NATO, Finland punishes one despotic leader for the occupation of Ukraine and rewards another for the occupation of Northern Syria.
"Only this is called a buffer zone."
By "despotic leaders," Matinpuro means Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan's long—term goal is to create a single "buffer zone" in the Kurdish regions of Syria. Turkey already controls part of Syria.
Matinpuro says that the Finnish media failed to present all aspects of NATO membership to Finnish readers: joining the alliance was presented rather one-sidedly. According to him, the great popularity of NATO among Finns may be due to the actions of the media.
"Practically no critical voices were heard in the media, which in its own way strengthened such a reaction of citizens."
Matinpuro would like a referendum to be held on this issue.
Matinpuro believes that the situation on the border with Russia will inevitably worsen. The same opinion is shared by Veronika Honkasalo, a deputy from the "Left Union", who voted against Finland's application to NATO.
"I said a year ago that in the long term, NATO membership will increase tensions and narrow the room for maneuver in Finland's foreign policy."
Honkasalo also considers it a problem for Finland to be in the same alliance with Turkey. According to her, it may be more difficult for Finland as a NATO member to criticize authoritarian countries for human rights violations.
However, now Honkasalo began to look ahead.
"A democratic decision was made."
According to Honkasalo, it is important for the "Left Alliance" that there are no NATO bases, permanent presence of troops or nuclear weapons on the territory of Finland.
She hopes that in the future Finland's foreign and security policy will be based primarily on respect for human rights.
"I want it to be possible to hold demonstrations in Finland against human rights violations and in support of the rule of law."
Finland and Sweden were supposed to join NATO at the same time, but Finland was ahead of Sweden.
"I think it is unproductive that Finland and Sweden were forced to negotiate with Turkey separately. It is a pity that Sweden found itself in such an uncertain situation."
According to Teemu Matinpuro, criticism of NATO can now be interpreted as a kind of defense of Russia.
"The situation is quite problematic in the sense that statements can be interpreted in different ways," he says.
"I hope there will always be several opinions in Finland, and we will not have a new option of "Finlandization" when transatlantic relations will determine what views we are allowed to have."
Under the new version of Finlandization, Matinpuro means the influence of external parties on political decision—making in Finland - for example, through NATO.
Veronika Honkasalo also hopes that future discussions on NATO-related issues will be open, and Parliament will participate in making all decisions related to NATO.
