MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Helsinki’s NATO membership does not meet the interests of the Finnish people, nor does it make any contribution to pan-European security, said Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

"The elites in Finland have again chosen to pursue the course toward cutting ties with Russia which led to the accession of our Finnish neighbor to the aggressive bloc of NATO. However, this hardly meets the genuine interests of the Finnish people. And it definitely does not contribute to ensuring pan-European security," the SVR chief told a roundtable discussion on Finland’s relations with the Soviet Union and Russia.

"History shows that cooperation with Russia benefited Finland more than its previous attempts to follow the lead of aggressive Russophobic and even neo-Nazi policies," added Naryshkin, who also serves as chairman of the Russian Historical Society.

In addition, he stressed, Russia has always taken into consideration the interests of Finland’s people.