Ex President Koivisto: Soviet submarines strained Finnish-Swedish ties in early 1980s
Sweden forgot to tell Finland of plans to apply for EU membership
Dozens of people showed up in Stockholm on Wednesday to hear former Finnish President Mauno Koivisto present his book on Finnish and Swedish relations, which was published in Swedish yesterday.
In his book, entitled Grannar ("Neighbours"), Koivisto recalls the early 1980s when Sweden was searching for suspected Soviet submarines in its archipelago.
"The situation was difficult, because we wanted to have good relations with both countries”, Koivisto said.
There were calls in Sweden, especially in the press, for Finland to denounce violations of Swedish territory by the Soviet Union. Koivisto said that relations between Sweden and Finland were at a low ebb.
Koivisto says that it has not been established that all of the submarines that were detected at the time were from the Soviet Union.
Commenting on the book, former Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson noted that present information suggests that there were fewer incursions than had been imagined.
Koivisto also recalls Sweden’s “clumsy” application for membership in the European Union, which came as a surprise to Finland.
In defence of the decision, which was made in October 1990, Carlsson said that the move was not considered to be a particularly dramatic one, but rather as a step in a process which everyone was aware of.
He admitted, however, that he had forgotten to inform Finland about it. Carlsson also spoke highly of Koivisto’s book, saying that it clarifies how misunderstandings can emerge.
“No politician should be allowed into Nordic Council meetings without reading this book”, Carlsson said.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 4.9.2008 - TODAY |
 Ex President Koivisto: Soviet submarines strained Finnish-Swedish ties in early 1980s |
|
