Nearly half of Finns oppose permanent NATO bases in country: Poll

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - Nearly half of Finns oppose the establishment of permanent NATO bases in their country, local media said on Monday.

Some 39% of Finns favor a permanent NATO base, according to public broadcaster YLE, citing a new poll by private broadcaster MTV.

Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (833-mile) border with Russia, is seeking NATO membership, but still needs the approval of current members Türkiye and Hungary.

The poll also found 49% said Finland should be more actively involved in the alliance’s international military operations as well as activities defending Finland. Some 42% favored Finland participating in NATO only in ways directly related to the country’s national defense.

The poll also found that almost 40% of Finns support some sort of NATO intervention in Ukraine.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May 2022, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia's war against Ukraine which started last February.

But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups, including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a NATO summit to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.​​​​​​​