Common EU defence not to undermine NATO: President

President Sauli Niinistö in a speech on Thursday stressed that the European common defence strategy is in no way attempts to undermine NATO.

“I know that European ‘strategic autonomy’ is almost a dirty word for many here in Washington,” he told a forum in Washington, D.C, followed by the statement that “the growing European activity in defence is not an attempt to undermine NATO. On the contrary, it aims at developing stronger European capabilities.”

His remarks came in a keynote headlined “A Stronger Europe: Our Common Interest” that he delivered at a forum of international leaders organised by the the Brookings Institution.

The Finnish president, now on a 6-day visit to USA starting from September 23 with a tight schedule of activities, on the other hand, underscored that Finland takes its own defence very seriously: “After the end of the Cold War, we never let our guard down. Our citizens’ will to defend their country is the strongest in Europe. Maintaining a strong national defence sends two powerful messages. It is a threshold against potential aggressors. And it makes us a more interesting partner. This is evident in our close bilateral cooperation with many NATO countries, including the US.”

“It is no secret that the EU is now in a difficult phase. Discord is overshadowing unity,” explained Niinistö, one of the world’s most popular current heads of state, if not the most, terming Brexit a loss for both the United Kingdom and the remaining 27 EU members. He then pointed out that in some of those member states, national elections have brought in governments that are questioning the very values Europe is based on, reads a , according a copy of the speech posted online by his office.

Against this background, he said, “In order to put our own house in order, I believe rebuilding the European spirit is essential.”

The EU has plenty of tools to provide its members with soft security, said Niniströ, but “Hard security and defence is where the Union has been slower to deliver. Ever since the failed attempt to create a European Defence Community in the 1950s, NATO has been the uncontested foundation for collective defence of its members. This still continues to be the case.”

To substantiate his statement of no conflict between the common EU defence and NATO, the Finnish leader said, “Also to non-members like Finland and Sweden, NATO is fundamentally important for European security and stability. We highly value our close partnership with NATO.”

“This is precisely what we aim to do now. I have been calling for a stronger European defence for over a decade already. I am delighted to see that there is finally movement in this field,” was his concluding remarks at the Washington forum.