(Bloomberg) Since the Nordic country joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in April, nine out of 10 Finns are in favor of joining, according to a government survey.
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Defense Minister Antti Häkkanen said in a statement Friday that “strong support for NATO membership unites Finns.” “The world is becoming more and more dangerous, but at the same time Finland’s security framework is the strongest in our country’s history.”
The 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border between Finland and Russia currently covers half of NATO’s eastern flank. Most border checkpoints have been closed since November, when Russia began assisting asylum seekers to Finland in what the city of Helsinki considers a hybrid influence operation.
Read more: Finland to close Russian border to protect national security
According to a survey commissioned by the Defense Intelligence Advisory Board, Finns only see Russia as having a negative impact on their national security. 0% of respondents said they had a positive view of the influence of neighboring countries to the east. An overwhelming majority of respondents, 90%, think that Finland should maintain support for Ukraine at least at the current level.
The survey, carried out over 60 years to measure Finnish attitudes towards defense policy, found that nine out of 10 people believed that other NATO allies would support Finland if necessary, and that Finland It was also found that the United States believes that it has an obligation to support its allies in the areas where they should step up. This was the first time questions were asked about NATO.
Finns also remain enthusiastic supporters of national defense, with 8 in 10 saying any attack should be met with force, and just as many Be willing to take or contribute personally. The Nordic country has one of Europe’s strongest defense forces, with 280,000 reserve troops built to counter any large-scale land operations needed.
“The will to defend our country and our own strong defense capabilities are the cornerstones of our security,” Hakkanen said.
Read more: Putin’s ambitions make Finnish troops and tanks back in fashion
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