Finland's defense chief visits 'like-minded' Japan

Résumé détaillé

Finland's Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen sees Japan as an ideal security partner in an increasingly threatening world. Their challenges are, he insists, "heavily interconnected,"…

Finland's Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen sees Japan as an ideal security partner in an increasingly threatening world. Their challenges are, he insists, "heavily interconnected," not least because of the vast neighbor they share.

"We are seeing Russia from the western side. You are seeing Russia as a neighbor from the eastern side," says Hakkanen to NHK World late last month in Tokyo. He was in Japan for talks with his counterpart Koizumi Shinjiro. They agreed that the security environments in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are inseparable. They also agreed to deepen cooperation.Hakkanen's visit came at a challenging time. The threat from Russia is growing in Europe, but the United States has recently taken a series of actions that no doubt left President Vladimir Putin beaming.

"In the long term, Ukraine's path is west and the European Union," says the 41-year-old minister. "We hope they will be a part of NATO."And to make that happen, Hakkanen says there are two pillars."First, we need much bigger support for Ukraine's defenses, and then harder sanctions on Russia. And then there is a solution through diplomacy. But if you don't show strength to Russia, if you show weakness, lift sanctions and everything, Russia will continue with warfare.""So, we have to be united as Western democratic countries," he says. "And defending our values starts in Ukraine at this time in history."

Many people in Finland are acutely aware of the threat on their doorstep. The Nordic country shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia and valiantly maintained its independence in World War Two, despite being drawn into a conflict with the Soviet Union.Hakkanen, who has served as defence minister since June 2023, believes diplomacy is the best way forward all these years later. "We are now trying to get peace negotiations back on track," he says.

Leaders in Tokyo are, like their counterparts in Helsinki, growing more accustomed to Moscow's pressure tactics.

Début de l'article, extrait de NHK World. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.