Finnish neutrality in danger as cooperation with NATO intensifies

At a Valentine's Day meeting in the town of Kemi, the district organisation of Finnish Peacefighters in Lapland expressed its dismay in view of the fact that the political leadership in Finland, in an alarming way, takes part in the militarization of the world.

From February 8th to February 14th ,German troops together with the Finnish Army tested transport helicopters in Arctic conditions in Rovaniemi (A city in the middle of Lapland where there is an airfield,  translator's note).

During the same week there was a programme on Finnish TV about Unmanned Aerial Vehicles being tested in Lapland at the Kemijärvi Airfield.

This actual training area stretches to the Russian border and follows the border for tens of kilometers.

Unmanned drones are used for surveillance and war missions. ROBONIC, a Finnish Corporation, producing UAVs, has its office in Tammerfors, and is hosting this activity and offers its products to the world market.

The strategy for Star Wars, which the US is developing, means that the pilotless plane is directed from a command center in Nevada, and follows the terrain and the moves on a data screen thousands of kilometers away and manuevers the drones. These drones have been used in Afghanistan and they have killed a lot of civilians.

Finland pursues deeper and deeper cooperation with NATO through these exercises and tests. Additionally, Finland will, in cooperation with Sweden,, arrange a seminar in Helsinki at the beginning of March.

It is woth noticing that such seminars have always been held exclusively in NATO countries. Today this kind of seminar will be conducted in Finland, which is a militarily non-aligned country. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host the seminar, which will deal with NATO´s New Strategic Concept.

We Peacefighters in Lapland want to underline the following: A society based on equality, diplomatic and friendly relations between people and fair trade are the most important guarantors for peace.

Power policy and violence, which also means so-called peacekeeping activities, are shortsighted and destructive methods, and will not accomlish sustainable peace. They are methods for oppression and exploitation.

We will not accept Finland´s deeper cooperation with NATO.
Peacefighters in Lapland.

For more information contact Kerstin Toumala kerstin.toumala@ pp.inet.fi

Text translated by Anne N.