Finland's shrewd policy: the "art" of living alongside Russia.

As a small country, Finland has made a clear and shrewd choice in foreign policy: not to pander to a giant, aggressive, rearming Russia, and at the same time not to advocate joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Finland ahead of the parliamentary elections on April 19. Pictured are campaign advertisements on a street in Helsinki, April 10, 2015. REUTERS/Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva

On April 19, 2015, Finland held parliamentary elections. As a small country, Finland made a clear and shrewd choice in foreign policy: not to pander to a giant, aggressive, rearming Russia, and at the same time not to advocate joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), RFI wrote.

Last year, Russia's annexation of Crimea and increased military activity in the Baltic Sea sparked considerable debate in Finland. Some within the political leadership spoke of joining NATO. However, this topic was rarely mentioned during the legislative election campaign.

According to Juhana Aunesluoma, a professor of political history at the University of Helsinki, quoted by AFP, what is surprising is the absence of security issues in the debates. "Clearly, people are concerned, but they seem to support the general consensus within the current government, which is to continue the European Union's policy of strengthening cooperation with NATO within the current framework."

For Finland, a country of 5.5 million people with a 1,340 km shared eastern border with Russia, maintaining its non-aligned tradition is seen as the best means of preserving relatively good relations with Moscow.

The events of the 1939-1940 Winter War remain deeply etched in the memory of the Finnish people. Following the failure of negotiations to establish a buffer zone to protect Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Soviet troops invaded Finland, which was under Moscow's influence. The war lasted for over 100 days.

The Moscow agreement signed in January 1940 thwarted French and British plans to send troops to Finland's rescue, turning the country into a battlefield.

From that point onward and throughout the Cold War, Finland maintained a measured attitude toward the Soviet Union, conducting business with both sides, East and West.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and simultaneously strengthened cooperation with NATO within the framework of the Partnership for Peace, supporting the bloc's intervention in Afghanistan.

According to analysts, the Helsinki government favors a common European defense policy rather than relying entirely on NATO.

While appearing unconcerned about the military threat from Russia, Finland remains vigilant. General Jarmo Lindberg, commander of the Finnish army, stated that although Moscow has done nothing to threaten, the number of Russian aircraft violations of Finnish airspace has increased. Therefore, the Finnish military needs to review its preparations and readiness to respond.

During a meeting between five countries – Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland – on April 10th, the Finnish Minister of Defence stated that Russia is "the greatest challenge to security in Europe." In a communiqué, the five Defence Ministers emphasized: "We must be prepared to respond when crises or incidents recur." The five defence leaders agreed to strengthen military cooperation, conduct joint exercises and training, and exchange intelligence information.

For his part, the Finnish Prime Minister urged the public to remain calm and not to be afraid. However, according to a poll published in the Helsinki Sanomat newspaper last March, as many as 61% of respondents believed that "Russia is currently the greatest threat to Finland."

However, only 27% of people supported joining NATO, the highest percentage since 2002, while 57% opposed the idea.

Foreign affairs also fall under the purview of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, who advocates maintaining good dialogue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Expert Aunesluoma emphasized, "It seems unlikely there will be major changes. The current (foreign policy) direction has already been agreed upon between the major political parties and the President."

According to BizLIVE