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Stubb: Finns should not be worried about Russian “sabre-rattling”

Finland's Prime Minister Alexander Stubb. Here from his visit to Murmansk in 2009 as Foreign Minister.

Finland´s Prime Minister and Foreign Minster say people in Finland should not be scared by Russia´s response to the Nordic countries´ plans for a tighter defense cooperation.

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Prime Minister Alexander Stubb responded to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry Sunday by reassuring Finns that they had nothing to worry about. Specifically, he said Finns shouldn’t allow the Russian “sabre-rattling to startle them”, Yle reports.

The statement on the Ministry of Foreign Affair´s web site on Sunday was a response to a recent newspaper article in which representatives from all five Nordic countries called for increased joint military cooperation among the Nordics to respond to what they describe as a Russian threat.

“The settlement of questions like these is of course the sovereign right of each state,” the comment reads. “But unlike in previous years, Nordic defense cooperation has been positioned as directed against Russia, something that can undermine the positive constructive cooperation that has been accumulated in the North over the past decades.”

Although he agrees that the wording of the statement is a little over the top, Finland’s Prime Minister advises everyone to try and keep a cool head.

He also emphasized that Finland makes its own sovereign foreign and security policy decisions, denied the Russian ministry’s claim that Finland’s defense cooperation would be directed against Russia, and commented that the Nordic defense minister’s newspaper article from Thursday contained “nothing new”.  

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja has also reacted to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement peacefully.

“Of course Russia is worried about NATO’s potential expansion, but on the other hand, there are no plans to do so at present and we see no particular threat from Russia’s direction that would justify a move of this kind,” he said.

According to Yle, Tuomioja said no one discussed plans for a joint publication on Nordic defense cooperation with him ahead of time.

“The article was written without any consultation from Finland’s foreign policy leadership. We have no intentions of changing Finland’s policy in this matter.” “This is neither a plan for nor precursor of NATO membership,” he added.

When asked if residents of Finland have reason to worry, Tuomioja had this to say:

“Not in my opinion, not because of this or anything Finland has done, or because of Finland’s status. Of course there is reason to worry if the general international tension leads to a tendency to use stronger language or wanton displays of power, which is what the increased military activity and ostentatious exercises seem to represent.”