NATO flag unfurled in Helsinki

(4 Apr 2023)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Helsinki - 04 April 2023
1. Various of Finland's and NATO's flags outside the Finnish Foreign Ministry
2. Various of a man taking pictures of flags outside the Finnish Foreign Ministry
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Aki Luhtanen, professor of mental nursing:
"This war situation has become near and near all the time. And because I think we should be aware and afraid of Russia. And I think in the future (it) is very, very important to belong to NATO."
4. Luhtanen taking photo of flags
5. Woman taking photo of flags
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Riku (last name not given), researcher:
"That's been a long-time concern over certain aggressions from the Russian part and a certain history with Russia and also this kind of like insecurity and uncertain unexpectedness when it comes to their foreign policy. So now I think those people who are who were already concerned about what Russia is going to do now got this confirmation that, okay, their words cannot be trusted in a way that we would like to."
7. Various of people taking photos
8. Pan of Finnish and NATO's flags
9. Various of set up shots of Professor of political history at the University of Helsinki Juhana Aunesluoma
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Juhana Aunesluoma, Professor of political history, University of Helsinki:
"This is historically very significant for Finland. Finland has never been militarily aligned before in its history. Of course, many things changed when Finland joined the European Union in 1985, but Finland remained militarily nonaligned. So it put limits into its participation with its partners in the European Union and also NATO countries., but Finland has collaborated closely with NATO, with NATO countries, but NATO membership is a new thing for Finland. "
11. Various of people at the senate square
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Juhana Aunesluoma, Professor of political history, University of Helsinki:
"Finns felt when we looked at Ukraine and how it fought that only NATO's membership really created the deterrence to prevent a war. Then also Russia started to threaten with its nuclear weapons. That was talk that was considered reckless, the way in which Russia talked about possible escalation and the possible use of nuclear weapons. That really scared Finns. And since understood that if you are a military non-allied country next to a nuclear power that talks about the use of nuclear powers, you really need to get to under a nuclear umbrella yourself as well."
13. Various of people outside Helsinki's Cathedral
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Juhana Aunesluoma, Professor of political history, University of Helsinki:
Finns still hope that's while we have now, as a NATO member, enhanced our security and defense and that we have more solid security guarantees through the NATO membership. It doesn't mean that there would not be a possibility for building better relations with Russia if Russia so wishes."
15. Helsinki's Cathedral
16. Various of Finland's and NATO flags
17. Close of NATO flag
STORYLINE:
A political analyst has described Finland's entry into the NATO alliance as "historically very significant."
Juhana Aunesluom a professor of political history at the University of Helsinki, said Finland had never been militarily aligned before in its history.
NATO's blue and white flags fluttered against the backdrop of Helsinki's deep blue sky Tuesday as Finland was on the cusp of its historic entry into NATO, a step that doubles the Western alliance’s border with Russia and ends decades of nonalignment for the Nordic nation.
That, Aunesluom added, really scared Finns.
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[@dallastaylor5479]

This means there will not be 1939 redux.

[@martiananomaly]

Interesting

[@UnderhillKoufax]

Sad.

[@stardust0075]

Dvmbest move by Finland.

[@PapiDawg]

Indeed for russia

[@UnderhillKoufax]

@@PapiDawg, For Europe and the world.

[@PapiDawg]

@@UnderhillKoufax majority of the entire world is glad in this development. Russia is the only one that's issuing threats against finland after this so it proves my point

[@UnderhillKoufax]

@@PapiDawg, Not at all, because the US is voted the greatest threat to world peace over and over by world polls (2014, 2017, 2021). The world outside of the US media bubble understands that the US/NATO broke many promises to the USSR in 1991 not expand into Eastern Europe. The US/NATO empire has aggressively expanded military forces and weapons towards Russia, overthrown a democratically elected government in Ukraine in 2014, literally funded Nazis in Eastern Ukraine who have terrorized the Russian majority populations in that area. Even Joe Biden publicly admitted in the 1990s that US/NATO expansion into Ukraine would trigger a Russian military response. Russia offered a peace treaty with Ukraine last year, but the US/NATO has pressured Ukraine not to accept. The lesson of the 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis was that nuclear superpowers demand buffer zones around themselves. The US demands a buffer zone in Cuba, Mexico, Canada, and the Americas. Russia demands Ukraine and Eastern Europe, but the US/NATO has repeatedly violated that buffer zone.

[@Slovenian.Patriot]

Hehe