Finnish Foreign Minister: after joining NATO, the country will not have nuclear weapons

Nuclear weapons will not be deployed on Finnish territory after it joins NATO, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said at a seminar on foreign and security policy held in Selena, Sweden. About it informs Finnish edition of Yle.

According to Haavisto, Finland did not set preconditions for its accession so as not to narrow its options. But the head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry assured that nuclear weapons “will not enter the territory” of the country after joining the alliance.

Haavisto also added that the membership of the Finnish side will strengthen cooperation between the European Union and NATO, and cooperation between the Nordic countries. According to Haavisto, the main directions of foreign policy will not change, and the European Union “will continue to be Finland’s main partner in foreign policy.”

Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO in mid-May last year against the backdrop of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. At the end of June, the NATO leadership decided to invite these two countries to the alliance. On December 4, the Finnish Foreign Ministry explained that Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric was a key factor that prompted Finland to apply to join NATO.

The only countries that have not yet approved the membership of Finland and Sweden in the alliance are Hungary and Turkey. In December, Haavisto revealed that Hungary promised to ratify the applications in February 2023.

Also in early November, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Turkey to ratify the agreements on the entry of Sweden and Finland into the alliance, since, according to him, the countries have fulfilled all the requirements put forward by Ankara. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, in turn, disagreed with NATO Secretary General.

In early December, Haavisto announced that the Finnish government had submitted a NATO membership bill to parliament.