Russian Incursion Could Speed NATO Integration As Finland Eyes Membership

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Finnish foreign minister moots NATO membership
Russia's incursion into Georgia is reason for Finland to consider ending its policy of neutrality and join NATO, its foreign minister Alexander Stubb was quoted Saturday as saying. "The moment to take a decision (to join the transatlantic alliance) has yet to come, but we have to be flexible and to quickly adapt our security policy," Stubb told Die Presse, an Austrian newspaper. Norway, Denmark and Iceland are currently the only Nordic countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Those who think that what happened this month in Georgia has no impact on Finland's security are "living on another planet," given the 1,340-kilometre (835-mile) border that Finland and Russia share. Neutral throughout the Cold War and in the years that followed, Finland inched closer to NATO in March when it announced its intention to join future operations of the alliance's rapid reaction force. Finnish President Tarja Halonen, who has the final say on foreign and security policy, acknowledged in Die Presse that the crisis in the Caucasus was proof that "dormant conflicts can quickly wake up". Stubb went last week to Georgia -- which is keen to join NATO -- in his role as chairman in office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to oversee the deployment of military observers.

by Staff Writers
Bled, Slovenia (AFP) Aug 30, 2008
Russia's incursion into Georgia could speed up the integration of the former Soviet republic into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Georgian vice prime minister Giorgi Baramidze said Saturday.

"I would not be surprised if this (integration) process would be going even quicker," following Russia's decision to send troops into the rebel Georgian region of South Ossetia, Baramidze told journalists in Bled, a mountain resort north of Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

"I think there should be an adequate reaction by NATO to this (Russian incursion)," Baramidze added.

At its summit in Bucharest in April, NATO leaders agreed that Georgia and Ukraine should eventually join the organisation, but neither nation was given candidate status and no timetable was set.

Baramidze said Russia's military action was aimed at punishing Georgia for having "a will to have a democracy and desire to enter NATO."

He added Georgia expected a "united and strong response" from the European Union and the US to Russia's incursion.

EU leaders are due to meet on Monday in Brussels for the emergency summit. France, which holds the rotating EU presidency, has warned not to expect sanctions to be agreed against Moscow.

"We are looking forward (to) the EU council (on Monday)... to define a unified position supporting politically and economically Georgia and, hopefully, sending a strong message to Russia," he said.

Baramidze urged the EU to "react adequately" to Russia's military action which he said was aimed at restoring control over the former Soviet Union's Empire territories.

"Appeasement policy would be more dangerous, it is not Europe's choice, nor ours or of the West, Russians have chosen this way of behaviour," Baramidze said.

He said the EU's support shown through a "visa facilitation (for Georgian citizens) would be very much welcomed by Georgia."

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China cannot back Russia in Georgia crisis: analysts

Beijing (AFP) Aug 29, 2008
China will not endorse Russia in its battle with the West over the Georgia crisis but cannot say so publicly for fear of upsetting Moscow, political analysts say.

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