AFP

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/

April 30, 2016

La Finlandia rischia una grave crisi con la Russia, se si unisce alla NATO

Helsinki: se la Finlandia aderisse alla NATO provocherebbe una grave crisi con la vicina Russia, ha avvertito Venerdì una perizia commissionata dal governo.

Nel rapporto si legge che la Finlandia e la Svezia devono decidere insieme se vogliono unirsi all’alleanza militare transatlantica.

"La Finlandia nella NATO con la Svezia che rimane fuori creerebbe una situazione strategicamente imbarazzante, lasciando la Finlandia come avamposto strategico senza contiguità territoriale con la NATO", scrive l'analisi. "L’appartenenza porterebbe probabilmente anche ad una grave crisi con la Russia, per un periodo di tempo indefinito".

Il rapporto è stato commissionato dal governo del Primo Ministro Juha Sipila a fronte di una maggiore attività militare della Russia nella regione del Mar Baltico e del suo ruolo nel conflitto in Ucraina.

La Finlandia, che condivide una frontiera 1.340 chilometri (830 miglia) con la Russia, è stata attaccata dal suo potente vicino durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, ma ha sempre mantenuto rapporti di pace con Mosca sin da allora.

La NATO è rimasta aperta all'idea dell’appartenenza finlandese, ma finora Helsinki è stata riluttante ad aderire e si è limitata ad una stretta collaborazione con l'alleanza.

"La Finlandia sarebbe più esposta e vulnerabile di quanto lo è attualmente se solo la Svezia dovesse aderire alla NATO", conclude il rapporto.

Il ministro degli Esteri russo Sergei Lavrov ha avvertito in un'intervista al quotidiano svedese Dagens Nyheter che il suo paese non esiterebbe a reagire se la Svezia si unisse alla NATO. "Se l’infrastruttura militare si avvicina ai confini russi bisognerà naturalmente prendere le misure tecnico-militari necessarie", ha detto Lavrov, ma non ha elaborato.

La Svezia ha sempre mantenuto una politica di non allineamento strategico fin dalla la guerra fredda.

Sipila dice che il suo governo deve essere pronto a chiedere l'adesione alla NATO, se necessario. “Con la Svezia, abbiamo promesso di non sorprenderci l'un l'altro in queste cose”

AFP

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/

April 30, 2016

Finland risks 'serious crisis' with Russia if it joins NATO: study

Helsinki: If Finland joined NATO it would provoke a "serious crisis" with neighbouring Russia, an expert report commissioned by the government warned on Friday.

The report also said that Finland and Sweden should decide together if they want to join the transatlantic military alliance.

"Finland joining NATO with Sweden staying out would create a strategically awkward situation, leaving Finland as a strategic outpost without territorial contiguity with NATO," the analysis said.

"Membership would probably also lead to a serious crisis with Russia, for an undefined period of time."

The report was commissioned by the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila in the face of Russia's increased military activity in the Baltic Sea area and its role in the conflict in Ukraine.

Finland -- which shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia -- was attacked by its powerful neighbour during World War II but has maintain peace relations with Moscow ever since.

NATO has remained open to the idea of Finnish membership, but so far Helsinki has been reluctant to join and has contented itself with close cooperation with the alliance.

"Finland would be more exposed and vulnerable than it currently is if Sweden alone were to join NATO," the report concluded.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned in an interview with Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter that his country would not hesitate to "react" if Sweden joined NATO.

"If military infrastructure draws close to Russian borders we will naturally take the necessary technical-military measures," Lavrov said, but did not elaborate.

Sweden has maintained a policy of strategic non-alignment since the Cold War.

Sipila said his government had to be ready to seek NATO membership if necessary, adding: "With Sweden, we have promised not to surprise each other in these matters."

RT.com

http://axisoflogic.com/

Saturday, Apr 30, 2016

NATO greedy for geopolitical space

NATO expansion to the East enables the alliance to deploy forces next to Russia’s borders and then accuse Moscow of “carrying out dangerous maneuvers” near the alliance’s bases, the Russian foreign minister told a Swedish media outlet.

“This is a mean-spirited attempt to turn the issue on its ears,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter daily.

“NATO military infrastructure is inching closer and closer to Russia’s borders. But when Russia takes action to ensure its security, we are told that Russia is engaging in dangerous manoeuvres near NATO borders. In fact, NATO borders are getting closer to Russia, not the opposite,” the Russian FM pointed out.

Speaking about NATO as the EU’s principal military alliance, Lavrov said its existence is an “objective reality” and therefore Moscow is ready for dialogue.

NATO deployments of AMD bases and troops near Russian borders have already violated the basic 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act, the foreign minister noted. Today, NATO is different from what it used to be and Russia pays no attention to its soothing words, but instead reacts to the alliance’s military potential massed near Russia’s borders, Lavrov added.

Russia is not interested in neutral Sweden entering NATO, yet “If Sweden decides to join NATO, we (Russians) won’t think that it intends to attack Russia,” Lavrov said. However, he also mentioned that alliance infrastructure in Sweden would definitely arouse a reaction from the Russian military.

Every state is free to choose its self-defense strategy in consideration of its national interests, and it’s better to ask the people before making this decision, according to the Russian foreign minister.

“The answer [why NATO needs new member states] is simple - NATO seeks to cover as much geopolitical space as possible and surround the countries that somehow disagree with NATO, such as, for example, Russia and Serbia."

Self-reliance is Russia’s strategic course now

Russian foreign policy is subject to change because sanctions against Moscow have made business as usual “absolutely impossible.” Russia will have to rely on its own resources first and foremost, the minister told the Dagens Nyheter daily.

“From now on we have to look to ourselves. We have everything we need for that. We are a self-sufficient country,” Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Russians are prepared to work hard to avoid having to buy anything abroad.

“This is a strategic course. It has nothing to do with self-isolation,” Lavrov said. He expressed hope that “when and if” Western partners opt to revert to “normal behavior,” this would only mean additional opportunity for development and cooperation. “But in basic things we’re going to paddle our own canoe.”

The EU will mature and come to an “equitable respectful dialogue without ultimatums,” Lavrov said, expressing hope that the ongoing situation in Russia-EU relations won’t last long, because the European Union and Russia are not capable of competing in the modern world on their own.

“We’re destined to live and cooperate together,” the Russian foreign minister stated.

Lavrov added that Moscow will speak with other European capitals as “equal partners and defy any ideas prescribed by the EU to be taken for granted.”

He went on to say that not everyone in Europe is happy with the outcome of the anti-Russian sanctions, and it is no secret Brussels will have to discuss the issue.

“Let’s hope that common sense prevails,” Lavrov said, noting that the “European Union, of course, will head in the direction that Germany wishes to go.”

Sergey Lavrov reiterated that Russia would rely on generating internal resources to avoid being dependent on Europe, which is currently putting politics ahead of economic expediency.

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