Van der Bellen in Finland: New ways in the NATO partnership!

Van der Bellen in Finland: New ways in the NATO partnership!

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen visits his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb in Helsinki on Thursday. This is done in the context of a historical realignment of security policy in Europe, which was triggered by the Russian invasion in Ukraine. While Austria and Finland were traditionally associated with common neutrality, this situation has changed as a result of the war. Finland, which is now a NATO member, particularly attentively judges the Ukraine conflict because the country shares a 1,340 km long border with Russia. vienna.at reports that Finland has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine within the EU and also with its military and humanitarian aid campaigns demonstrated.

Relations with Russia have worsened in recent years, especially after a judgment of a Finnish court who sentenced a Russian to life detention for war crimes in Ukraine. Wojslaw Torden was held responsible for the death of 22 Ukrainian soldiers. Russia described the judgment as a politically motivated "show process". NBC News emphasizes that Finland is closely observed and feared that Torden part of Russian Geiseld diplomacy becomes a closer look could.

reorientation and security issues

The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted calmly to the Russian accusations and pointed out malicious information on information. In view of the current geopolitical tensions, Finland also considers leaving from the Ottawa Convention on the Osthyding of Landminen, a step that some neighboring countries such as Poland and the Baltic States have already taken. These considerations are to be understood in particular against the background of Finland's NATO accession, which was carried out on April 4, 2023, less than a year after the application in May 2022. that Finland gradually closed its border with Russia for passenger traffic.

domestically, security policy in Finland currently only plays a subordinate role. Even parties that were previously against NATO joining are now becoming clear. This is mainly due to the election campaign for the upcoming regional and municipal elections on April 13, which focuses mainly on social issues and dealing with immigrants. Van der Bellen will also visit various security institutions in Finland during his visit and address topics such as reorientation in transatlantic relationships and the war of international law in Russia.

critical infrastructure and maritime incidents

The concern for your own security is also reinforced by several incidents within the Gulf of Finland, in which ships that may be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" damage critical infrastructure. So far, however, there has been no clear evidence of direct Russian involvement in these incidents. Finland has a clear positioning that is reflected in the intensive military cooperation with NATO and the provision of help for Ukraine.