Finland not to apply for NATO membership prior to 2011

Jan 20, 2009, 11:42 GMT

Helsinki/Stockholm - Finland is unlikely to apply for membership in NATO until 2011 at the earliest, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said in interview remarks Tuesday.

'Government and president need to be unanimous, and public opinion has to be much more positive in order for NATO membership to come about,' Stubb told the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

'We will keep our option about applying for membership, but it is not on the cards, at least not under this government, until 2011,' Stubb said.

A former member of the European Parliament, Stubb has been a strong supporter of NATO membership He shares that stance with other members of the conservative National Coalition Party, one of four parties in Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen's ruling coalition.

President Tarja Halonen, a former foreign minister, has opposed NATO membership.

A survey conducted last year after the August conflict between Russia and Georgia suggested 57 per cent of Finns opposed joining NATO, 23 per cent were in favour while the remaining 20 per cent were undecided.

Finland cooperates with NATO within the Partnerhsip for Peace (PFP) framework.

Stubb said he also envisioned closer cooperation in defence matters with other Nordic neighbours, including Sweden that is also not a member of NATO.