As soon as Finland joined NATO, the country’s politicians immediately began to discuss the relevance of the agreement with Russia on the demilitarization of the Åland Islands, reports Ilta-Sanomat.
“After Finland joined NATO, the question arose whether the agreement on the demilitarization of the Åland Islands remains relevant,” write the authors.
The Åland Islands have been demilitarized since 1856. Since then, this status of the territory has been confirmed several times by various documents. However, after Finland joined NATO, discussions resurfaced among Finnish politicians about canceling the agreements confirming the demilitarization of the Åland Islands, reports RIA Novosti.
Thus, the former commander of the country’s Defense Forces and current member of the Finnish Parliament, Jarmo Lindberg, believes that membership of the North Atlantic Alliance raises questions about the status of the islands. Finland’s former intelligence chief, as well as newly elected MP Pekka Toveri, thinks the same way. He believes that Russia’s “aggressive policy” makes it possible to remilitarize the territory.
However, the authorities of the Åland Islands themselves, represented by the head of the municipality, Veronika Ternros, do not agree with the choices of the people and adhere to the current agreement on a demilitarized status. The islands were represented in the Finnish Parliament by a single MP who defends the idea of the status quo. He indicated that members of the Alliance could have demilitarized zones, such as Svalbard in Norway.
In the meantime, the Russian Foreign Ministry hopes that the Finnish authorities will not violate their international legal obligations regarding the Alands.
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