Defence Minister denies military exercises being used to bring Finland into NATO

Seppo Kääriäinen

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Minister of Defence Seppo Kääriäinen (Centre) on Wednesday rejected suspicions raised in connection with the Presidential election campaign, that Finnish leaders would be secretly taking Finland into NATO through joint military exercises with the NATO Response Force (NRF).
      "Naturally, there is no basis for these claims", Kääriäinen wrote in his column on the Ministry of Defence website.
      He also sought to clarify issues surrounding Finnish participation in NATO exercises, which has been the focus of somewhat confused public debate recently.
     
Kääriäinen noted that participation by Finnish soldiers in international crisis management exercises is based on policy lines drawn up in the defence policy reports of the Finnish government. He also wrote that NATO will open its exercises to members of the Partnership for Peace, and that some of these exercises will have "elements of the NRF forces". Non-members would not be allowed to take part in exercises concerning the common defence of the NATO region, or those involving nuclear weapons.
      Finland is involved in two rapid action battle groups of the European Union, along with five other countries. Four of those countries are NATO members, and are thus involved in NRF activities.
      Kääriäinen noted that it would be irresponsible to send Finnish soldiers into operations without proper training.
      He also emphasised, that taking part in NATO's crisis management exercises would not involve Finland in "NRF exercises", but rather crisis management exercises in which parts of the NRF may be trained as well.
     
There has been discussion in NATO about opening NRF operative action to Partnership for Peace members. Kääriäinen says that more precise information is coming later this year.
      "If NATO were then to decide to open NRF operations to members of the Partnership, the matter would be processed in the normal manner here in Finland as well", he wrote.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Presidential candidates clash over participation in NATO exercises (11.1.2005)
  Finland to be part of NATO Response Force (23.12.2005)
  Government proposes constitutional amendment on crisis management issue (2.12.2005)

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