On Monday morning, organized a three-hour NATO chat between experts and the public. Here are the most interesting withdrawals from over a thousand questions.
On Monday morning, organized a chat discussion where experts answered the audience’s questions about NATO.
The questions were answered by a leading researcher from the Foreign Policy Institute Matt Pesu and Ph.D Iro Sarkkäresearcher at the National Defense University Helja Ossa and NATO special reporter from Mika Hentunen and a foreign supplier Tom Kankkonen. You can read the entire chat here (you will go to another service).
As many as 1,047 questions came in this morning. We picked five different questions and their answers for this article.
1. If Turkey were to ratify only Finland, is it really possible that Finland will refuse NATO membership without Sweden?
It is possible for Finland to delay its own national acceptance process in a situation where Turkey would only accept Finland’s membership, says Matti Pesu.
Refusal of membership is hardly out of the question, because there is almost unanimity in Finland about the necessity of NATO membership. It is still likely that Turkey will accept the membership of both Finland and Sweden.
2. Why should Finland wait for Sweden if Finland gets the missing ratifications from Turkey and Hungary but Sweden does not? Isn’t your own situation the most important thing?
Finland doesn’t have to wait for Sweden, but NATO does hope sosays Mika Hentunen.
Iro Särkkä said on Monday’s morning that Finland and Sweden should remain strong and united and show that the countries do not agree to the regulation.
3. Will the country that has already ratified be able to reverse its decision before everyone has given approval?
Can not.
A once ratified NATO agreement is always a ratified NATO agreement, replied Iro Särkkä.
4. Why don’t Sweden and Finland send the persons that Turkey demands to be returned to a safe country? Wouldn’t the problem go away then?
In a rule of law, people cannot be sent out of the country based on political intentions, replied Tom Kankkonen.
Among the people demanded by Turkey are at least those who have obtained citizenship and asylum in Sweden.
Sending people to another country could result in legal sanctions for the senders, he says.
5. If we already go into the future and think that we are in NATO, will there be big bases in Finland?
It can come if Finland requests such and NATO agrees to this, says Heljä Ossa.
However, for example, the Baltic countries asked NATO for many years to establish bases in their region, so it is not automatic. NATO will not establish bases without Finland’s consent.
You can discuss the topic on 31.1. until 11 p.m.