FINLAND AND NATO

FINLAND AND NATO

NEWS: Finland’s journey, from neutral to NATO

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/finlands-journey-from-neutral-to-nato/article66721378.ece

Context:

• Finland became the 31st member of NATO.
• Britain will become the 12th member to join CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) -the first to join the partnership since its inception.

Finland	Britain
Finland shares a 1,340km long border with Russia and had signed a “friendship agreement,” with the Soviet Union to be a neutral country (Military non-alignment- ‘Finlandisation’). However, after Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland decided to join NATO.	Britain joined CPTPP to build ties around the world after leaving the European Union (BREXIT).

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):

• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• It is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April, 1949, by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
• There are currently 30 member states(Finland 31st).
• NATO’s essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means.
• NATO has an integrated military command structure but very few forces or assets are exclusively its own.

SIGNIFICANCE OF JOINING NATO:

• NATO security guarantees will extend to this country which shares a border with Russia.
• NATO Secretary-General:“Finland is safer, and NATO is stronger with Finland as an ally.”
• In 1948, the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance was signed between the USSR and Finland, outlining ‘Finland’s desire to stay outside the conflicts of interests between the great powers’.
• This came to be known as Finland’s ‘neutrality’.

Finland and NATO:

• The cooperation between Finland and NATO began as early as in 1994 with the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme.
• Finland had the status of an ‘Enhanced Opportunity Partner’ and contributed in a significant manner to the NATO-led operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Finnish system of conscription has generated ‘sufficient resources for the army, navy and air force to act effectively in a war situation’.
• Constitution of Finland, every Finnish citizen is obligated to participate in national defense.
• Prior to its NATO’s membership, Finland had already been preparing to defend itself against possible aggression.

Practice Questions for Prelims

With reference to NATO, consider the following statements:
1. It is a military alliance established by Washington Treaty.
2. NATO has never invoked collective defence clause.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans. a)

Mains Practice Question

What role does NATO play in light of China’s expanding military and economic might, and how has NATO changed through time to meet emerging security threats in the Indo-Pacific region?

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