The Diplomat
The Finnish and Swedish ambassadors to Spain, Sari Rautio and Teppo Tauriainen, respectively, confirmed yesterday that both countries are moving closer to the Atlantic Alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a meeting with the press at the Swedish Embassy, Rautio and Taurianen indicated that, according to polls, public opinion in the two countries has increased support for NATO membership, and added that some Finnish and Swedish political parties have already taken a position in favour of membership.
The Finnish ambassador pointed out that conservative Finnish parties have been more “open” to this position, while there is less support on the left.
The Swedish ambassador expressed himself along the same lines, admitting that there are differences within the country’s politics. He explained that the government has set up a “working group with opposition parties to analyse the security and defence situation, and the conservative parties have already expressed their intention to address the issue. “The Conservatives have said that if they win the elections in September they will propose that Sweden apply for NATO membership, if there is a majority in parliament,” said Tauriainen, who said that the government has already expressed its intention to maintain “the line” it has taken in recent years.
Both Rautio and Tauriainen, who stressed their cooperation with the Alliance, agreed to play down Russia’s warnings to Finland and Sweden that NATO membership would have “serious political-military repercussions”, which would require “a response” from Russia.
The Finnish ambassador said that these “threats” are not new and “they have heard them several times”. “It is clear that they would not like us to be part of NATO, the message is no different, what has changed is the security environment,” she said.
The Swedish ambassador, for his part, described Moscow’s warnings as “unacceptable”, but noted that Stockholm “is not interested in such comments”.
The two diplomatic representatives recalled that their countries are not neutral, since their membership of the European Union prevents them from remaining aloof from what happens to the rest of the member states. “We are not neutral countries, that is very important, an EU member country cannot be neutral because it is part of the EU family”, defended Rautio, who added that “it is another thing to be militarily aligned”.
Tauriainen said that Stockholm’s position “has changed” since joining the EU. “Our position has evolved and 20 years ago we left neutrality (…) but we follow the policy of non-alignment”, he said, stressing that its purpose is to “create security” with its neighbours and friends.
The two ambassadors referred to Helsinki’s and Stockholm’s increased defence spending and pointed out that they meet the 2 percent of GDP contribution to military spending, the NATO-mandated commitment.
Sari Rautio pointed out that Finland spends 1.7 per cent of its GDP on defence, but the December decision to buy more fighter jets will exceed the 2 per cent limit. Teppo Tauriainen said that the Swedish government has already announced its intention to reach 2 per cent, as it currently spends 1.26 per cent.
