SPECULUM VERUM
Sweden's Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist (S) has proposed an alternative to Finland and Sweden joining NATO: A Finnish-Swedish defense alliance with American backing. Det Säger riksdagsledamoten Erkki Tuomioja som hoppa att Finland överväger casen, but fears that the state leadership has already decided on NATO membership.
Erkki Tuomioja, the long-time Riksdag member and former Minister of Foreign Affairs (SDP) is convinced that Finland will shortly submit its membership application to NATO.
- I say it straight: We will submit our application to NATO within weeks or months whether we should or not. I am fully convinced that this whole reporting apparatus that has been put in place is a means to achieve as broad a majority as possible behind a NATO application. I have seen it in the Riksdag and in discussions within the party and in other parties. There will be a strong majority for it.
That analysis is made by Erkki Tuomioja, who was an invited speaker at Finland's Swedish Social Democrats' plenipotentiary meeting on Saturday.
Tuomioja belongs to the foreign policy heavyweights. He is vice-chairman of the Riksdag's foreign affairs committee and a member of the defense committee. He also leads the SDP:s internal party working group for foreign, security- and defense policy.
New option in the discussions
Erkki Tuomioja vill att Sverige och Finland går i hand: Either so that both countries join at the same time, or decide to stay out together.
But Tuomioja says that there is also a third option that has recently been put forward in discussions with the governing Social Democrats in Sweden.
- The third option is to deepen cooperation with Sweden and form a defense alliance between our two states, a treaty. Finland has not previously ruled this out, but the idea has previously lacked support in Sweden, both among those who support Swedish NATO membership and among NATO opponents, for opposite reasons, Säger Tuomioja.
But with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing NATO debate, the discussion has changed.
- I have had several conversations with Swedish Social Democrats and I know that they take this option seriously. But I fear that here in Finland we do not take it seriously enough.
“The USA as the third wheel”
Judgments Säger att det är oklart om en svensk-finsk försvarsallians vore sufficient.
- That would mean that the USA would be involved as the third wheel, not through a treaty, but through the cooperation that has already been going on since the Cold War and which will be deepened after Niinistö's visit to Washington, where a process was set in motion.
Where exactly this process will lead, Tuomioja cannot say.
- But it is clear that it would largely take place as a tripartite collaboration between Sweden, Finland and the USA.
“War hysteria makes it difficult”
Erkki Tuomioja says that there is now a situation where everyone is afraid and understandably upset about what is happening in Ukraine.
- People think: Could Finland be Russia's next victim?? I do not believe that, but we must be prepared for it and investigate the alternatives, , Säger Tuomioja and continues:
- What I fear is that the war hysteria carried on by the evening press in Finland makes it more difficult to make analytical decisions based on a review of all alternatives and their various consequences.
Erkki Tuomioja fears that Finland's leadership has already decided on NATO membership and says that the risk is that all options will therefore not receive the evaluation they deserve.
Efter anfördet passar HBL på att fråg Tuomioja om försvaralliansen med Sverige som ett alternative till NATO membership.
The Swedes have not previously been included in the notes. But now you have received other signals. Can you tell me about this?
- We have had digital meetings with the Social Democrats abroad- and the defense committees in both countries. We have raised the matter and there has been no negative reaction. I know that Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist has a meeting with our Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen (C) and that the idea is up for discussion. How far it then carries is another matter. The issue is taken seriously in Sweden and I hope that it would be taken just as seriously here as well, Säger Tuomioja.
Tuomioja says the treaty does not have to be an eternal option, without the fact that it could be a solution for a few years to come.
- Of course we have all the time, both Sweden and Finland, still the option of applying for NATO membership. But in today's situation it can be difficult and it can also be perceived as an escalation that complicates the international situation. We should take that into consideration, Säger Tuomioja.
Erkki Tuomioja, the long-time Riksdag member and former Minister of Foreign Affairs (SDP) is convinced that Finland will shortly submit its membership application to NATO.
- I say it straight: We will submit our application to NATO within weeks or months whether we should or not. I am fully convinced that this whole reporting apparatus that has been put in place is a means to achieve as broad a majority as possible behind a NATO application. I have seen it in the Riksdag and in discussions within the party and in other parties. There will be a strong majority for it.
That analysis is made by Erkki Tuomioja, who was an invited speaker at Finland's Swedish Social Democrats' plenipotentiary meeting on Saturday.
Tuomioja belongs to the foreign policy heavyweights. He is vice-chairman of the Riksdag's foreign affairs committee and a member of the defense committee. He also leads the SDP:s internal party working group for foreign, security- and defense policy.
New option in the discussions
Erkki Tuomioja vill att Sverige och Finland går i hand: Either so that both countries join at the same time, or decide to stay out together.
But Tuomioja says that there is also a third option that has recently been put forward in discussions with the governing Social Democrats in Sweden.
I have had several conversations with Swedish Social Democrats and I know that they take this option seriously.
- The third option is to deepen cooperation with Sweden and form a defense alliance between our two states, a treaty. Finland has not previously ruled this out, but the idea has previously lacked support in Sweden, both among those who support Swedish NATO membership and among NATO opponents, for opposite reasons, Säger Tuomioja.
But with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing NATO debate, the discussion has changed.
- I have had several conversations with Swedish Social Democrats and I know that they take this option seriously. But I fear that here in Finland we do not take it seriously enough.
Also read: Swedish Defense Minister Hultqvist on the Finnish-Swedish defense alliance: There is no such proposal on the table
“The USA as the third wheel”
Judgments Säger att det är oklart om en svensk-finsk försvarsallians vore sufficient.
- That would mean that the USA would be involved as the third wheel, not through a treaty, but through the cooperation that has already been going on since the Cold War and which will be deepened after Niinistö's visit to Washington, where a process was set in motion.
Where exactly this process will lead, Tuomioja cannot say.
- But it is clear that it would largely take place as a tripartite collaboration between Sweden, Finland and the USA.
[Swedish Social Democrats, among them Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist, has proposed a defense alliance between Sweden and Finland as an alternative to NATO membership, Säger Erkki Tuomioja. “I have had several conversations with Swedish Social Democrats and I know that they take this option seriously. But I fear that here in Finland we do not take it seriously enough”, Säger Tuomioja.]
Swedish Social Democrats, among them Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist, has proposed a defense alliance between Sweden and Finland as an alternative to NATO membership, Säger Erkki Tuomioja. “I have had several conversations with Swedish Social Democrats and I know that they take this option seriously. But I fear that here in Finland we do not take it seriously enough”, Säger Tuomioja.Simon Bergman
“War hysteria makes it difficult”
Erkki Tuomioja says that there is now a situation where everyone is afraid and understandably upset about what is happening in Ukraine.
- People think: Could Finland be Russia's next victim?? I do not believe that, but we must be prepared for it and investigate the alternatives, , Säger Tuomioja and continues:
- What I fear is that the war hysteria carried on by the evening press in Finland makes it more difficult to make analytical decisions based on a review of all alternatives and their various consequences.
Erkki Tuomioja fears that Finland's leadership has already decided on NATO membership and says that the risk is that all options will therefore not receive the evaluation they deserve.
Efter anfördet passar HBL på att fråg Tuomioja om försvaralliansen med Sverige som ett alternative till NATO membership.
The Swedes have not previously been included in the notes. But now you have received other signals. Can you tell me about this?
- We have had digital meetings with the Social Democrats abroad- and the defense committees in both countries. We have raised the matter and there has been no negative reaction. I know that Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist has a meeting with our Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen (C) and that the idea is up for discussion. How far it then carries is another matter. The issue is taken seriously in Sweden and I hope that it would be taken just as seriously here as well, Säger Tuomioja.
Tuomioja says the treaty does not have to be an eternal option, without the fact that it could be a solution for a few years to come.
- Of course we have all the time, both Sweden and Finland, still the option of applying for NATO membership. But in today's situation it can be difficult and it can also be perceived as an escalation that complicates the international situation. We should take that into consideration, Säger Tuomioja.
[Peter Hultqvist has also discussed the proposals with Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen. Stock image.]
Peter Hultqvist has also discussed the proposals with Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen. Arkivbild.Anders Wiklund/Lehtikuva-AFP
Is this your idea as an alternative to NATO membership? Are you the driving force?
- I would say that it is more the Swedes and Peter Hultqvist.
When has the proposal sailed up?
- With the crisis and because the opinion climate in Sweden and Finland has changed and NATO has emerged as a much stronger alternative. Then the interest in alternative ways forward has also appeared, Säger Tuomioja.
Is that Peter Hultqvist?, is it Ann Linde (Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs) or who it is that you have spoken to?
- The Swedes themselves have to answer that, but I have been in contact with Peter Hultqvist quite often and I know that he has spoken to our Minister of Defence (Kaikkonen) about the matter.
Your analysis is that Finland will join NATO and that it will happen quickly.
- As it now stands, the entire process has been built up to achieve a great deal of support for NATO membership. I am sorry that we are not taking this option seriously then. I still have no opinion on what decision we should make. But I strongly believe that we should investigate the proposal and consider all the merits, disadvantages and consequences, Säger Tuomioja.
Have you tried bringing this up to Sanna Marin and Sauli Niinistö?
- Of course. Everyone is aware of this.
And what do they tell you??
- Even though I knew, I can't answer that.
At the general meeting of the Swedish Social Democrats of Finland, Tuomioja's speech was praised. In his closing remarks, Tuomioja said that he would be much calmer about the debate that was being held within the entire SDP, would be the same as the one held within the Swedish-speaking party district, FSD:
- The discussion we had in the party council last week was not of the same class as the debate we had here today.
HBL asks Tuomioja what went wrong in the debate at the party council last week. That meeting was held behind closed doors.
- This discussion was more analytical and open to different options without taking a position.