Parliamentary defense committee for NATO membership bid

The parliamentary defense committee on Tuesday expressed its support to Finland’s possible bid to join NATO to ensure the country's national security.

The committee at a meeting observed that that NATO membership is the best solution for Finland's overall security, said the parliament in a press release.

The committee finalised its opinion on the government report submitted to the parliament in last month on changes in the security environment.

The committee observed that although country's own defence capabilities have a good foundation, that are not enough to address the changed security situation following Russia's attack on Ukraine.

The performance of the Finnish Defence Forces is good and the country's defence has been developed over decades but as a small country Finland is unable to provide an adequate deterrent to possible threats, said the committee.

The committee also observed that while Finland has engaged in extensive bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation it does not ensure security guarantees. Even it is not clear that what kind of support would be received from current partners in the crisis situation.

The committee said that Finland's NATO membership would significantly increase the likelihood of being subject to military influence from Russia.

The committee, however, said that joining NATO would strengthen Finland's defence capabilities during the crisis period with the help from the NATO's significant military capabilities, and would also significantly improve the country's security of supply of military equipment.

A member of the committee from the Vasemmistoliitto (Left Alliance), a component of the five-party alliance government, however, expressed a dissenting opinion on joining NATO.

The government on April 13, adopted a report on changes in the security environment and submitted it to the parliament with the view to assess the effects of the possible NATO membership application and making a decision in this regard.