Finland's membership of NATO off agenda at present — ambassador

However, the Finnish government does not rule out a prospect of this kind in the future, the Finnish ambassador in Moscow said

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MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. Finland's membership of NATO is off the agenda at present although the Finnish government does not rule out a prospect of this kind in the future, the Finnish ambassador in Moscow, Mikko Hautala said on Tuesday in an interview with the Moscow-based Kommersant daily.

He said any country took an interest in having diversified plans of action and that is why nothing could be ruled out but the issue was not in the current plans.

Hautala recalled Finland had been supporting longtime relations of partnership with NATO. Specifically, it was conducting political dialogue with the pact and taking part in certain exercises organized by NATO.

He said Finland was proceeding from its own interests in this sphere and its decisions depended on whether one or another action could be lucrative for the capability of its own Armed Forces.

Finland is one of the five most advanced partners of NATO along with Australia, Georgia, Jordan, and Sweden.

Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said on June 11, 2016, in a speech at a congress of his Center Party that an application for membership of the North-Atlantic alliance would require a broad popular support. Opinion polls show that a possibility of NATO membership is supported by a minority of Finns.