Ahtisaari: Finland should rethink its stance on NATO membership
The former Finnish President sees closer relations between NATO and Russia as a positive development.
Interviewed YLE TV, Martti Ahtisaari warned that Finland could end up being left behind, grouped with countries such as the Ukraine or Belarus – hardly a positive development for Finland’s international image.
Martti Ahtisaari said in the interview that he was bothered by the fact that Finland was unwilling to take more steps to join NATO, which was so central to peacekeeping today. Finland’s political leaders should be more concerned about what kind of image Finland is giving of itself by remaining outside of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
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According to Ahtisarri’s view, Finns seems to believe in an unchanging, Soviet Union-like Russia, although Finland’s eastern neighbour has been undergoing great transformation. The former Finnish President said such a static view, as evidenced in public debate in Finland, is insulting towards Russians.
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