LAST UPDATE: 13.54
NATO has shown no interest in installing nuclear weapons or permanent bases in Finland, Finnish Prime Minister Sana Marin said in an interview published today in an Italian newspaper.
“There is not even any interest (within NATO) in installing nuclear weapons or bases in Finland,” Marin told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, according to her office.
Finland and Sweden formally applied for NATO membership on Wednesday, a decision sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but face Turkish objections to the initially expected membership process being relatively quick.
During a visit to Rome to meet with her Italian counterpart Mario Draghi, Marin said the issue could be resolved through dialogue.
“I think at this stage it is important to remain calm, to have talks with Turkey and all the other member states, to answer any questions and to correct any misunderstandings,” Marin told the Italian newspaper.
According to Marin, the issue of NATO developing nuclear weapons or setting up bases in Finland is not part of Helsinki’s accession negotiations with the Western military alliance.
“I do not think there is any interest in developing nuclear weapons or opening NATO bases in Finland,” Marin said.
Magdalena Anderson, the prime minister of neighboring Sweden, who, like Finland, has applied to join NATO, has also said that her country does not want permanent NATO bases or nuclear weapons on its territory.
Turkey, which has been a member of NATO since 1952, has opposed the demands of Finland and Sweden, accusing its Scandinavian neighbors of sponsoring individuals linked to organizations that Ankara considers terrorist.
Ankara has also invoked arms embargoes from the two countries on Turkey following Erdogan’s order in his army in 2019 to attack PKK-linked Kurds in Syria.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson are expected to meet later today in Washington with US President Joe Biden.
Italy strongly supports Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids and intends to speed up any internal procedures for the two countries to join the Alliance as soon as possible, Draghi said after his meeting with Marin yesterday.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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