“We & nbsp; retain the option to apply for NATO membership. We & nbsp; must evaluate this freedom of choice, as it concerns the right of the state to decide the issue of & nbsp; its security & raquo;, & nbsp; & mdash; said Marin in her New Year's address. She added that & nbsp; Finland is strengthening cooperation with the & nbsp; European Union in the & nbsp; defense sphere.
About & nbsp; that & nbsp; Helsinki has the right to apply for & nbsp; joining the & nbsp; military bloc, recalled in & nbsp; his New Year's speech and & & nbs; Finnish President Sauli Niiniste. He & nbsp; also stated that & nbsp; the requirements voiced by Russia in & nbsp; December, the requirements for & nbsp; the United States and & nbsp; NATO contradict the European security model and & nbsp; cause concern on the & nbsp; continent.
We are talking about & nbsp; draft treaties on & nbsp; security guarantees, which were published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on December 17 & nbsp; They suggest in & nbsp; including the rejection of & nbsp; NATO's expansion to the & nbsp; east and & nbsp; & nbsp; placement of medium and & nbsp; short-range ground-based missiles outside their territory.
In & nbsp; December, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said, that & nbsp; joining & nbsp; NATO of Finland and & nbsp; Sweden, which are actively involved in the & nbsp; exercises of the alliance, would & nbsp; have serious military-political consequences that would require & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & quot; an adequate response & raquo; Moscow.