Finland's Halonen reaffirms anti-Nato membership line

Finland's Halonen reaffirms anti-Nato membership line

Finland's Halonen reaffirms anti-Nato membership line
Local Finland News In English

Tarja Halonen, the Finnish president, said in her penultimate New Year's address that the Finnish public should not be faulted for not wanting the country to join Nato as a full-fledged member. She added that she shared the view held by the majority of the public that credible national defence did not require membership in a military alliance. According to a recent poll, seven out of ten members of the public are against full Nato membership. The former president Martti Ahtisaari said in response to the poll last month that the public's anti-Nato membership stance was hurting Finland's image abroad and put the country in the same pigeonhole with countries like Belarus and Ukraine. Source: Helsinki Times