Finland India

Finland, a new NATO member, has identified China as a ‘challenge’ for the first time in its Defence Report, signaling a growing strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific. (Image: AI Generated)

Even Finland, a Nordic country and a new NATO member, is concerned about China. The Finnish government’s recent Defence Report (December 2024) mentions China for the first time, and as a “challenge,” Janne Kuusela, director general, defence policy department of Finland, told TIMES NOW. “The world is becoming smaller,” he said, and there’s a link between the Baltic region and the Indo-Pacific, he added.
In fact, a more substantial White Paper focusing on the Indo-Pacific and awaiting publication, has a special section on the Indo-Pacific by Tito Gronow, a diplomat once based in India and now with the Finnish ministry of defence. Besides China, North Korea is the country to watch. The Finnish footprint in the Indo-Pacific amounts to closer ties with NATO allies like Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia and also with other countries like India that believe in the rules-based order.

Plus, India is a formidable military power. Finland sees the possibility of defence cooperation with India, particularly in specialised features like weather forecast instruments for the navy and high technology areas like artificial intelligence, cyber security, “communication solutions” and satellite imagery. Besides, Kuusela said, Finland fully understands India’s emphasis on ‘atmanirbharta’ or self-reliance and wants Finnish companies to find Indian partners to work with.

Finland, in this era of higher defence spending by Europe in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war and US President Donald Trump’s conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, may also be keen on Indian weapons.

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