Even though the most arduous, military dimension of the special relationship—the odious mutual defense pact by which both pledged to hold joint military discussions in the unlikely event of an invasion of Russia by NATO via Finnish territory—was formally dissolved after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Finnish head of state still listens to Putin.
The reverse is also true. He has maintained a good working relationship with Putin, irrespective of events in the Ukraine or other serious security concerns … it is in the Finnish realist tradition not to turn your backs on Russians and show fear. High on the list of sensitive matters which Niinisto discusses with Putin is the possibility of Finland upgrading its current status as a NATO partner to full membership, something which Putin has explicitly warned Finland against.
For Niinisto, keeping the option of joining NATO open while maintaining a strong, independent, well-equipped defense force, is a sufficient deterrent. Finland also ranks among the most militarily prepared nations in the world, in terms of the percentage of its population that is willing to defend itself—with nearly 80 percent of Finns willing to take up arms, something which Putin is doubtless aware of.
Helsinki has emerged as a resilient front against Kremlin spin. But can its successes be translated to the rest of Europe? But no one questions that the advice Niinisto proffered was sound.
Finland arguably has the most popular democratically elected government in Europe. The tricky triangulation required of a Finnish president is something that the judicious Niinisto manages well, which helps account for his record-high poll ratings : around 90 percent of Finns approve of his job performance. Niinisto is outspoken on the threat posed by the social media. As befits someone whose job description has been likened to steering between Scylla and Charybdis—the monster and whirlpool of Greek mythology— Niinisto refrains from directly criticizing either Trump or Putin.
What we can do is to maintain a clear and consistent Western line in our relationship with our Eastern neighbor and improve understanding between East and West.
Now he has changed the request to a demand. He continued to hold elected posts in local government until the s.
His elected posts while in Parliament included chairing the Constitutional Law Committee. When he took up this post, the aftermath of the s recession was at its worst, and unemployment was at record high levels. Overcoming these challenges is something that Finland will focus on during the year. It makes sense to seek ways to prepare for future crises together. There is also cause to celebrate in The Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers rotates between the five Nordic countries and is held for a period of one year.
Mail Facebook Linkedin Twitter. Together we are stronger and wiser than we are individually. This is one of the fundamental theses of the Finnish programme for the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in
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