F I N L A N D G O E S F U L L N A T O
While I was in Helsinki in July, also Joe Biden was in town for a couple of days, on his way back from the NATO summit in Vilnius; many Finns were happy to see also this kind of "validation" for the recent membership admission—an admission long awaited for many. I instead can admit it right away: I would've actually preferred that Finland stay out of NATO; good relationship yes, but membership no. At a dinner some time ago, I asked a former ambassador his view on Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and he defined it an "unavoidable choice"—I honestly can't say that I agree. That said, I know perfectly well that the vast majority of Finns wanted it, and I of course respect that (and I sort of understand where they're coming from, too—however, Putin should've been stopped a long long time ago, but you know, business). I can admit another thing too: when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, being a Finn, it scared the hell out of me too, even though I live in Italy; during the days I kept reading the news, and war was in my dreams for several nights. I still find myself wondering every once in a while, what if it had been Finland? What if Finland's next? As I wrote in my blog back then, I was extremely happy that the current President of Finland Sauli Niinistö is so calm, with no need to start flexing in front of Putin—the embodiment of Finnish rationality. In 2024, Mr Niinistö will end his second 6 year term (the constitution allows 2 consequent 6 year terms), and I truly hope that his successor will adopt the same attitude and approach. The photo of Mr Niinistö above is from 2012, his first year as president, when he was about to receive the then Italian prime minister Mario Monti in his official residence in Helsinki, Mäntyniemi.
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