/ world today news/ In Finland, they started talking about revising the demilitarized status of the Åland Islands. The collection of signatures for the closure of the Russian consulate in these territories continues actively. How are these processes related to Finland’s accession to NATO and what risks for Russia’s interests does the militarization of strategic islands in the Baltic Sea pose?
The Finnish parliament said that after Finland’s accession to NATO, “the question arose as to whether the agreement on the demilitarization of the Åland Islands remains relevant”. In particular, one of the MPs, Pekka Toveri, called for the remilitarization of Åland because of Russia’s alleged aggressive policy. At the same time, the head of the local municipality, Veronika Ternros, spoke out against such decisions. The only Åland MP in the country’s parliament also advocated maintaining the status quo.
We recall that the decision on the principle of non-deployment of military forces in the region was taken in 1856, and since then this status has been repeatedly confirmed by various agreements. So, from the time of King Gustav Vasa, who ruled in the 16th century, until the beginning of the 19th century, the islands belonged to Sweden. In 1809 they became part of Russia and remained until 1917, when they were ceded to Finland.
The issue, which has not been raised for a century and a half, arose against the background of Finland’s accession to NATO. Almost immediately after that, a collection of signatures for the closure of the Russian consulate on the Åland Islands began on the website of the state civil initiatives. According to the former head of Finnish military intelligence, Pekka Toveri, the consulate is a “relic of history” and should be closed.
This opinion is shared by the former Minister of the Interior of Finland, MP Päävi Räsäänen. According to her, the presence of the Russian diplomatic mission in the Åland Islands should be viewed from the perspective of aggravating the situation in the Baltic region. However, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavistö stated on this occasion that Finland does not plan to remove Russian representations on its territory, as this could lead to retaliatory measures from Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that Helsinki would adhere to international legal obligations. We have already analyzed in detail what are the possible consequences of closing the consulate and how the local residents feel about Russia. However, the expert community recognizes that the remilitarization of the islands and the closure of the diplomatic mission are irreversible processes.
“The discussion of the status of the territories is directly related to Finland’s entry into NATO. The fact is that these territories received the status of a demilitarized zone as early as 1856. Later, in the Soviet period of history, the agreements were confirmed,” said Nikolai Mezhevich, president of the Russian Association for Baltic Studies.
“Thus, for the Finns, the deployment of potential NATO military bases is an opportunity to fully acquire sovereignty over the territory. This is sad, because the region was the oldest demilitarized territory in the world, and all attempts to somehow change this in the past ended in failure,” emphasizes the expert.
“Despite the fact that Finland has long been on the path to NATO integration, the deployment of an American base anywhere in the country would be a serious threat to Russia’s national security. The solution will probably be more of a psychological nature: remilitarization underlines that the politics of Helsinki has changed dramatically and it is impossible to return to past forms of interaction,” emphasizes the expert.
“In this situation, Moscow must clearly show the society in Finland, and in particular the inhabitants of the Åland Islands, that their territory can now become a legitimate target for Russia. Any escalation can lead to sad consequences,” emphasizes Mežević.
“In Helsinki, they believe that for the first time since the Second World War the ‘shackles’ have been removed. I remind you that the USSR did not make Finland a socialist country, but significantly limited its sovereignty in foreign policy, insisting on true neutrality in Helsinki. Consequently, the Finns did not undertake a single major foreign policy action against the will of the USSR. This has brought many economic benefits to Finland,” added Vadim Trukhachev, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy at the Russian State Humanitarian University.
“In this regard, the remilitarization of the islands in the understanding of the current Finnish elite is presented as a revival of foreign policy independence. The fact that Finnish Swedes living on the Åland Islands are the most anti-Russian part of Finnish society should also be taken into account here,” the interlocutor points out.
“If Helsinki nevertheless decides to revise the status of the territory, then Russia will face certain risks. In particular, an American military base may appear there. Then for our country the exit from the Gulf of Finland will actually be closed, given the unfriendly Denmark and Sweden nearby,” explains the political scientist.
“I do not rule out that in the future Moscow will have to pay more attention to our naval grouping in Kronstadt. In addition, the question of terminating the lease of the Saimaa Canal, which Finland uses to exit the interior of the Baltic Sea through the vicinity of Vyborg, can be raised,” concludes Trukhachev.
Translation: SM
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
and for the channel or in Telegram:
#NATO #threatens #close #exit #Gulf #Finland #Russia
