Summary:
Ilta-Sanomat has reported that Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö had spoken in favour of shared European defence for years, and now he has received support from both France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.

German Chancellor Merkel spoke at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday and she said the European Union should establish a joint army. French President Macron and European Commission President Juncker have also spoken on behalf of a European army.

According to Ms Merkel, EU joint defence is a supplement to NATO, and it is time for Europe to take its fate into its own hands. Ms Merkel also emphasised tolerance and solidarity in her speech. She said the EU needs a joint approach to immigration.

President Niinistö said he was pleased that the matter is being discussed, but stated that it is about deeper security cooperation rather than a common army. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke about a common army five years ago, but it is important to understand this correctly. The EU has 28 armies and NATO also relies on the armies of its member states.

Mr Niinistö pointed out the fact that NATO has no own army at all. NATO relies on the national armies of its members. A European army would be something like that – close cooperation with the defence sector. He noted that common troops are hard to define as a term and lead to misguided perceptions.

Media:  Ilta-Sanomat (E-edition, PDF) , Ilta-Sanomat (E-edition, PDF)
Date: 15.11.2018
Journalist: Mika Lehto
Main source:

Summary:
An editorial in Ilta-Sanomat has stated that Finnish top politicians have reacted strongly to the allegations that Russia had been jamming the GPS signal in his Finland’s northern airspace during the recent Nato military exercise Trident Juncture 2018.

President Sauli Niinistö, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, Foreign Minister Timo Soini, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Matti Vanhanen, and Chairman of the Defence Committee Ilkka Kanerva condemned the incident. Mr Soini also promised to issue a statement to the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Kremlin has disputed the allegations. The editorial states that even if no « smoking gun » could be found, Finland should object to Russia’s violation of its airspace.

An editorial in Iltalehti noted that Prime Minister Sipilä said he believed that the GPS signal jamming had deliberately demonstrated the ability to use the means of modern hybrid warfare, and that it is a confirmation of having these abilities.

Mr Sipilä also emphasized that this was not a small matter because the civil aviation security has been compromised. During an interview with Yle, the Prime Minister said it was possible that Russia might have been the disruptive party in the incident.

According to President Niinisto, the intrusion into the Finnish territory via electronic signals is comparable to territorial encroachment.

Kainuun Sanomat has reported that Russia had denied the accusations of GPS jamming in the Finnish airspace. Russian Press Secretary Dmitri Peskov said at a press conference on Monday that he had no information indicating Russian involvement in the incident.

An article in Ilta-Sanomat noted the existence of the R-330Zh Zhitel system. It is a mobile station with a frequency range covering GPS signals, as well as signals from European and Chinese satellites. Zhitel’s purpose is to interfere with communications and data connections.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has reported that Zhitel had been used to interfere with unmanned aerial equipment used by the organization in Eastern Ukraine.

Media:  Iltalehti, Ilta-Sanomat, Ilta-Sanomat, Kainuun Sanomat
Date: 12.11.2018
Journalist: Iltalehti: Juha Keskinen
Main source:

Summary:
Verkkouutiset reports that according to a European Policy Centre (EPC) study: « Finland in the European Union: Frontrunner or follower », Finland is only average in European affairs. Finland makes positive statements about, for example, the internal market but then holds on to many blocks to the free mobility of goods, services, capital, and labour, says senior policy analyst Annika Hedberg.

Finland ranks well in terms of the digital internal market, digital skills, public services, and mobile networks. EPC researcher Paul Ivan said that Finland should intensify its defence and security co-operation with Europe. However, the problem is that, according to Ivan, Finland is not of interest to other EU countries. Finland follows Germany’s defense policy, but Germany does not see Finland as a strategic partner.

Mr Ivan pointed out that in recent years, Finland had become known as a loud defender of the security guarantees offered by the EU. However, the true meaning of the phrase is still unclear. Some 21 of the 28 EU member states belong to NATO. For them, the EU’s own security guarantees will always come after those by NATO.

The article in Kauppalehti mentioned that when it comes to environmental issues, Finland cannot be considered a pioneer. For example, Finland has too narrow a view on environmental issues as it bets on the use of biomas an biofuels. This, according to the think tank, is an example of a narrow-minded policy that focuses on national interests.

Media:  Kauppalehti , Verkkouutiset.fi
Date: 13.11.2018
Journalist: Heli Satuli
Main source: n/a

Summary:
Iltalehti has reported that the Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will meet the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on 15 November. They will discuss i.a. the transatlantic cooperation, European security, response to hybrid threats and other topical issues.

Mr Soini will also meet members of the Congress and discuss with representatives of think tanks. According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, the discussions highlight the impact of the interim on US policy, relations between the European Union and the United States, and the future of the statutory system.

Media:  Iltalehti
Date: 12.11.2018
Journalist: Antti Pajamo
Main source:

Summary:
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini visited Finland on Wednesday and met with Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, among others. According to Ms Mogherini, Finland’s presidency of the Council of the EU will be exceptionally important, as we are living in a time of change within Europe. She said that during that time, the EU will need leadership, which Finland will certainly show.

Mr Sipilä defined some of the main challenges as the European Parliament elections, forming the new European Commission and Brexit negotiations. Also the budget framework will require a great amount of work.

Finland will start as the presidency next summer. In addition to Finland’s Presidency in the European Union, they discussed hybrid threats, immigration and climate change, among other things.

Media:  Helsingin Sanomat, Ilkka
Date: 10.10.2018
Journalist:
Main source:

Summary:
According to Helsingin Sanomat, the preparations for the Arctic Council Summit, in which Presidents Putin and Trump might also take part, are well on their way. The planners are already planning on possible dates in spring 2019.

President Sauli Niinistö commented on the summit, saying that the United States seems to have become more interested in it. He said that things have advanced towards a better direction, surprisingly. He says that if the summit participants will be from the higher level, the participants will determine the date of the summit.

According to the President, it is certain that some kind of high-level meeting will be held. At least the traditional foreign ministers’ summit is certainly held, and possibly a summit on the higher or lower level. He thinks that the IPCC report will boost the stakes of the summit.

He finds that a central point is that the summit’s agenda can be approved by the United States, Russia and other countries. Issues planned on the agenda include black carbon, sea safety and heavy fuel ban on arctic area sea transport.

President Niinistö had talked about the summit for a long time and has discussed it with Presidents Putin and Trump as well as with other state leaders. Finland is the chair of the Arctic Council until May 2019, which is the deadline for the summit.

Media:  Helsingin Sanomat
Date: 10.10.2018
Journalist: Teemu Luukka
Main source: President Sauli Niinistö

Summary:
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö spoke at the 100th anniversary of the Finnish Supreme Court about his concern over the devaluation of international agreements in international politics. According to Mr Niinistö, it seems that in geopolitics power and strength are what counts today.

He said that by questioning international agreements, some aim to change the current world order. Ignoring common agreements has never led to anything good. According to President Niinistö, the United Nations and its member states must express their will to collaborate.

Media:  Kaleva
Date: 1.10.2018
Journalist:
Main source: President Sauli Niinistö

Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö said in a speech at the Brookings Institute in Washington that Finland has always taken its own defence seriously and that he is happy with the recent developments in strengthening European security.

He added that during the past 70 years, NATO has practically meant the United States, which has carried the greatest burden over European defence. This has been very important to Europe. The structures and sums planned by the European Union now in its defence might sound technocratic and small to the United states, but they are an important extension to European defence, Mr Niinistö pointed out.

According to Mr Niinistö, Europe is still a natural partner to the US. He said that if the United States becomes isolated, other countries will want to fill in the void it has left.

He pointed out that Russia and China do not want to face a strong EU, they emphasise bilateral relations. It is not an advantage to the US if the two countries gain more foothold in Europe. Both countries have aimed to increase their impact in neighbouring areas. Russia has done it aggressively, while China has worked in a more subtle way, Mr Niinistö explained.

Mr Niinistö found that the combination of insecurity and uncertainty could undermine western societies if the countries become isolated and forget the value of collaboration. He thinks such development is dangerous.

Media:  Helsingin Sanomat, Verkkouutiset.fi
Date: 27.9.2018
Journalist:
Main source: President Sauli Niinistö