PM Marin: No Interest For NATO To Place Nuclear Weapons Or Bases In Finland

JAKARTA - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has not expressed any interest in placing nuclear weapons or a permanent military base in Finland, Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Italian newspapers in an interview on the sidelines of a visit to Rome on Thursday.

"There's not even any interest (in NATO) in placing nuclear weapons or bases in Finland," Marin told the Corriere della Sera, his office said.

Finland and Sweden formally signed up to join the NATO alliance on Wednesday, a decision prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but faced objections from Turkey over the accession process that was initially expected to be relatively fast.

Prime Minister Marin, who held a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, said he believed the issue could be resolved through dialogue.

"I think at this stage it is important to remain calm, discuss with Turkey and all other member states, answer any questions that may have and correct any misunderstandings," he said.

Furthermore, PM Marin also said that the question of NATO deploying nuclear weapons or opening a base in Finland was not part of negotiations for Helsinki's membership with Western military alliances.

Earlier, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of neighboring Sweden, who is also applying for NATO membership, said her country did not want permanent NATO bases or nuclear weapons on its territory.

Turkey, a NATO member since 1952, has expressed opposition to the membership registrations of Finland and Sweden, accusing its Nordic neighbors of harboring individuals linked to groups it deems terrorists. Ankara also cites the countries' arms export embargo against Turkey following its attack on Syria in 2019.

It is known, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Andersson are expected to meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington, United States on Thursday evening local time.