NewsRoom Finland (STT) - NDHF Net

1.9.2008 at 9:32

Matti Vanhanen (centre), the Finnish prime minister, told the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) on Sunday that Russia's incursion into Georgia did not merit raising Finland's defence spending or taking full Nato membership into serious consideration.

He added that the crisis in the southern Caucasus constituted insufficient grounds to alter the country's security policy plans.

Alexander Stubb (cons), the foreign minister, had said last week that Finland should assess its security environment more frequently than before and consider joining Nato in the wake of the war in Georgia. Jyri Häkämies (cons), the defence minister, then stepped in by proposing an increase in defence appropriations.

Mr Vanhanen dismissed Mr Stubb's comment as the National Coalition party's rather than a defence minister's.

"We will stick to the decisions we have," the prime minister said.

"We have a Nato option, but it has not been activated and nor will it be activated in this forthcoming report."

The Finnish government is in the process of drafting a quadrennial security and defence policy report.

Mr Vanhanen added that Finland's official security policy had not changed.

"It has of course been well known that the National Coalition party has approached Nato membership with a much more positive attitude. That the foreign minister states as much does not make it Finland's announcement."

Mr Vanhanen said Finns should devote more time and effort to think of ways to tackle the Caucasus crisis than to a domestic debate over arguments for and against Nato membership.

/STT/

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