President of Finland: NATO Membership no Substitute for Strong National Defense

NATO membership cannot "replace a strong national defence capability"President Sauli Niinistö told Finland’s diplomatic corps that the country’s current relationship with NATO had served its interests. . . .

However according to Niinistö, national security cannot be secured by a free-ride arrangement. . . .

Niinistö said that a foreign and security conference that he hosted at his summer home Kultaranta in June, helped clarify ideas about NATO membership, adding that “some bubbles burst”.

“One of them was the idea that NATO membership could replace a strong national defence capability,” he declared.

NATO Security & Defense

Image: NATO membership cannot "replace a strong national defence capability" (photo: Axel Gallén-Kallela/Wikipedia)