Finland & # 171; respects its sovereignty & # 187; and is not going to give up the opportunity to apply to join NATO.
Finland retains the opportunity to apply to join NATO. This was stated by the Prime Minister of the country Sanna Marin announced in the New Year's address to citizens, Chronicle.info reports with reference to the Correspondent.
& # 171; We retain the opportunity to apply for NATO membership. We must cherish and preserve this freedom of choice because it concerns the right of each country to make its own security decisions. This is one of the foundations of European security, enshrined in the OSCE Principles. We have shown that we are learning from the past & # 187 ;, & # 8212; she stressed.
Marin also noted that Finland will intensify defense cooperation with the European Union.
President of Finland Sauli Niiniste in his New Year's address also mentioned joining NATO. He said that the country is ready to support efforts to continue the dialogue with Russia.
Niiniste called Finland's foreign and domestic security policy stable and said that the country reserves the option of joining NATO, & # 171; if will decide so herself & # 187 ;.
On December 31, commenting on relations between the United States and Russia, Niiniste said that in a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said that Finland respects its sovereignty and is not going to give up the opportunity to apply on joining NATO, if it is relevant.
In early December, Putin said that Russia needs legal guarantees that NATO will not expand eastward. Among other things, he demands that Ukraine not be admitted to NATO.