Contents tagged with Finland
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NATO troops arrive in Finland for the first time
NATO troops landed in Finland for the first time as part of the Alliance’s Baltic Operations (BALTOP) naval exercises, Yle reported.
The exercises began on Monday near Hanko west of Helsinki.
The aim of the training is to develop cooperation between the navies of NATO member states and partners.
British, German, and Italian soldiers are participating, as well as 200 US Marines.
BALTOPS are Baltic Sea exercises that have been held annually since 1972.
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Sweden and Finland strengthen cooperation with NATO
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg, stated in an interview that Sweden and Finland, which aren’t members of NATO, attended a NATO Ministerial meeting that took place on the 20th of May, as reported by a correspondent for European Pravda in Brussels.
“Finland and Sweden – EU Member States, but not NATO Member States - will join us. It will be an important indicator of our level of cooperation,” Stoltenberg stated.
The High Representative of the …
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Finland to place an additional 160 border guards along the eastern border
The Finnish government plans to deploy 160 guards to its eastern border. This was reported by Yle.
This strengthening of border guard personnel was prompted by Finland’s first report on internal security, which was published on Thursday.
According to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Petteri Orpo, the government also intends to stop the decline in the number of police officers. Their goal is to have at least 7,000 police force members in four years’ time.
According to the Ministry, the new …
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US fighters to take part in joint Finnish-Swedish aviation exercises
On Monday, US Air Force fighters began to take part in Finnish Air Force aviation exercises. These Cross Border Training exercises will last until the 20th of May.
According to the Finnish TV and radio company, Yle, eight US fighters from Oregon arrived at the Rissala airbase on Friday. US Air Force planes had previously participated in aircraft exercises in Finland’s airspace. This will however be the first time that US fighters will depart from the Finnish airport.
The participation of the …
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US F-15s arrive in Finland for joint training flights
US F-15 fighter planes arrived at the Finnish air base Rissala on Friday where they will take part in joint training flights with Finnish fighters. They will also participate in the Finnish-Swedish exercise Cross Border Training (CBT), as reported by Yle.
It is the first time that American fighters will be based on Finnish territory. Earlier, US aircraft took part in flights within the framework of exercises in the air space of the country, but without taking off and landing from Finnish …
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Finnish President: Finland's decision to join NATO will be decided by a referendum
The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, who is in favor of maintaining the present non-aligned policy, noted that the issue on the country entering NATO should be put to a national referendum.
Commenting on the report of the international expert group about the consequences of NATO entry for the country, published on Friday, he stated in an interview with Yle that Russia sees NATO as a threat, which was also outlined in the report.
“They don’t want this threat to reach their borders,” the …
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Finnish government report states the country's ascension to NATO would provoke a crisis with Russia
According to a report released by the Finnish government, if the country joined NATO, it would provoke a crisis in relations with Russia, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported.
As noted by the Yle Finnish broadcasting company, a working group which assesses the implications of the possible accession of Finland to NATO submitted a report to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Timo Soini.
According to the report, membership in NATO would most likely affect Finland's security, as it would help deter …
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Finland allocates half a million euros for humanitarian aid to Ukraine
The Ambassador of Ukraine to Finland, Andriy Olefirov, wrote on Twitter that Finland announced the allocation of half a million euros for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. "Today the government of Finland has announced the allocation of the next tranche of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 500 thousand euros," Olefirov wrote.
Recently, the European Commission allocated a new humanitarian package worth 20 million euros to help people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. …
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Finland is opposed to lifting sanctions against Russia
Finland advocates full implementation of the Minsk Agreements. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Timo Soini, during his working visit to Ukraine on February 17th at a meeting with Pavel Klimkin.
During the meeting of the Ministers, the Finnish side assured the Ukrainians that they would continue to adhere to the EU's common positions. However, the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements will be a precondition for the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
In …
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Finnish authorities surprised by influx of refugees across border with Russia
The Deputy Chief of the Finnish Border Guard, Ilkka Laitinen, is perplexed by the situation in which their border with Russia has quickly become one of the main crossing areas for refugees. It is noted that more than 20 asylum-seekers crossed the border on Monday, February, 15th.
"This phenomenon raises many questions, the answers to which we do not have. One question is why people are crossing the northern border of Raja-Jooseppi and Salla, while the southern border crossings remain the …