Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, after holding talks Wednesday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, said if Finland applies for NATO membership, it would be for the security of its own citizens.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday that if her nation takes the historic step of applying to join the NATO military alliance, it would be for the security of its own citizens and would also strengthen the international community.
PM @MarinSanna: "The partnership between Japan and Finland is based on shared values and interests. Finland and Japan are strong defenders of the rules-based international order.
Today, we need trusted partners more than ever." 🇫🇮 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/SaxtZZO1SI
— Finnish Government (@FinGovernment) May 11, 2022
“I told Prime Minister Kishida about our plans to possibly apply for NATO membership,” Finnish PM Sanna Marin told a news conference after the two leaders met in Tokyo.
“However, our security environment has now also changed. Russia’s war against Ukraine means that the world will look very different in a few years.
The world should condemn Russia’s aggression in the strongest possible terms. As part of the European Union, Finland has cooperated closely with Japan on sanctions against Russia. We should do even more to stop the war.
In Finland, we will soon draw conclusions from Russia’s aggression. As you know, Finland is about to decide on its possible application to become member in NATO ,”PM Sanna Marin said .
“If Finland makes this historic step it is for the security of our own citizens. Joining NATO would strengthen the whole international community and stand for our common values,”PM Sanna Marin added.
Japanese PM Fumio Kishida said the two had agreed that changing the status quo by force was unacceptable in any part of the world, a veiled reference to China, and both said their discussions included North Korea, said to be preparing for another nuclear test.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine has not only changed the European security environment but the global security environment,” PM Sanna Marin said.
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Finland Japan Sanna Marin Fumio Kishida Administration Europe