(Helsinki) A NATO base will be installed in Finland less than 200 kilometers from the border with Russia, the Ministry of Defense of this Nordic country announced on Friday, which thus sends “a message” to its eastern neighbor .
Finland became a member of the Atlantic Alliance in 2023, ending decades of military non-alignment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said NATO’s new headquarters for the Northern European Land Command Unit would be located in Mikkeli, one of the closest towns to the Finnish border. with Russia, 1340 kilometers long.
“Finland sends a message to Russia that it is a full member of NATO and NATO plays a very important role in the defense of Finland,” Hakkanen told a conference. press.
PHOTO EMMI KORHONEN, LEHTIKUVA PROVIDED BY REUTERS
Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen (right) and Finnish Army Lieutenant General Pasi Valimaki at a press conference in Helsinki, September 27, 2024.
The command of the Finnish Defense Forces is already on the site of the future base.
“By combining the locations, we achieve the best possible synergy between national defense management and NATO defense management,” emphasized Mr. Hakkanen.
The military alliance’s multi-corps land component command will operate under NATO Command in Norfolk, United States, which oversees the Atlantic and Arctic regions.
Mr. Hakkanen specified that the headquarters would be made up of a few dozen people from different countries of the Atlantic Alliance.
In June, NATO Defense Ministers gave the green light for Finland to host the Multi-Corps Land Component Command as well as the Forward Land Forces (FLF).
Details of the FLF — the Alliance’s multinational ground forces based in several countries on its eastern front — will be announced later, Hakkanen said.