Finland should not participate in NATO nuclear weapons exercises, says group
Finland should not participate in any NATO nuclear weapons exercises, according to a statement released by the Nuclear Weapons Monitoring Group of Finland on Wednesday.
Instead, Finland should advocate discussing the risks of nuclear weapons and the ban on the first use of such weapons. The statement recommended that Finland promote nuclear disarmament as a long-term target.
The Group challenged the country’s official alignment. When joining NATO, Finland said it would participate in the military alliance’s nuclear planning and support operation, however, nuclear arms will not be allowed on Finnish soil.
The Nuclear Weapons Monitoring Group of Finland was set up in March this year by Pugwash and several Finnish NGOs, including the Peace Union of Finland, ICAN Finland and the Physicians for Social Responsibility and Technology for Life Finland.
It aims to analyse issues relating to nuclear weapons and NATO. Members include anti-nuclear weapons activists and military researchers from the National Defence University. The long-time former Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja (SDP) is the group’s most prominent member.
(Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)
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