Less than half the population supports the establishment of a permanent NATO base despite joining the bloc
Significant majorities of the Finnish population oppose the transportation and storage of NATO’s nuclear weapons in the country, despite having joined the bloc last year, according to the results of a University of Helsinki survey published on Thursday.
More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents opposed the storage of nuclear weapons in Finland, where they are illegal, while just 14% supported it. Even transporting NATO’s nuclear arsenal through Finnish territory was opposed by 61% of respondents, with just 27% in favor.
“Finland is protected by NATO’s nuclear umbrella, but the shared responsibility does not extend to a willingness to transport weapons here,” University of Helsinki professor Hanna Wass, one of the researchers who conducted the survey, told Finnish broadcaster Yle.
“This might be a reflection of a not-in-my-backyard mentality, but above all, it is indicative of Finland’s long history of nuclear disarmament,” she added.
The population was almost evenly split on the idea of a permanent NATO base in Finland staffed with non-Finnish troops, with 43% opposing the idea and 46% supporting it.
However, the poll showed strong public support for being a member of the alliance, with 81% in favor and just 11% opposed. The average NATO member country can only boast of 72% support among the population. Respondents with higher incomes and greater education generally had more favorable attitudes toward NATO membership. Centrist political affiliation was also associated with stronger support for the bloc, while those whose political views were further to the left and right were more likely to disapprove.
The University of Helsinki conducted the survey last month in partnership with the University of Turku and Abo Akademi University among 2,877 Finns between the ages of 15 and 79.
Former PM Sanna Marin, who abandoned decades of Finnish neutrality to apply for NATO membership last year, refused at the time to place any preconditions on joining, such as a refusal to house the alliance’s nuclear weapons or host a base. The country officially became the 31st member of NATO in April.
READ MORE: NATO powers in ‘frantic’ race to conceive Ukraine deal – Politico
Russia, which shares a 1,300km border with Finland, condemned its neighbor’s accession to the bloc as a “threat to Russia’s security,” accusing Helsinki of deliberately dismantling what had been a longstanding mutually-beneficial relationship between the two countries.
Last week, Moscow announced that Finland’s general consulate in St. Petersburg would be closed and nine diplomats expelled in response to Helsinki’s “confrontational actions,” which included expelling nine Russian diplomats last month.
