The Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden agreed: We have applied to join NATO, but we do not want this! – New time

Finland does not want NATO to place nuclear weapons on its territory or establish a military base there, even when Finland becomes a member of the Alliance. This was stated by Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, which was published on Thursday. TASR received the report from Reuters. According to Marin, the issue of the deployment of nuclear weapons or the opening of a NATO military base in Finland was not part of the Helsinki-Alliance membership negotiations. “I also don’t think there is any interest in deploying nuclear weapons or opening a NATO base in Finland,” the Finnish prime minister said. The Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, whose country, like Finland, has applied to join the North Atlantic Alliance, also expressed a similar opinion. Andersson said Sweden did not want a permanent NATO base or nuclear weapons on its territory. Finland and Sweden officially applied to join the North Atlantic Alliance on Wednesday. These Nordic countries have decided to take this step in connection with the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Although the process of their accession to the Alliance was originally expected to be rapid, both countries now face reservations from Turkey, from which they need consent if they want to become part of NATO. However, during her visit to Rome, where she met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, she said she believed the problem with Turkey’s reservations would be resolved quickly. “I think it is important at this stage to stay calm, to discuss with Turkey and all the other member states, to answer the questions and to explain all the misunderstandings,” Marin said. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday.