BEIJING, May 13. /TASS/. The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO would not help strengthen security, but would fuel tensions in the region, a research fellow of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told TASS.
"The two countries have their reasons for joining the [North Atlantic] alliance, but this would certainly fuel tensions in the region and would not help strengthen security, said Zhang Guoqing.
First, "the two countries’ research potential and their military might are originally strong, and their accession to NATO would help strengthen the alliance and bring a new round of its expansion eastwards," he said. "Second, the goals here are quite clear, and this would pose a certain threat geopolitically - this is one of the reasons why NATO is not in a hurry to accept the two," Zhang Guoqing added
Also, "Finland had animosity towards Russia at times," the expert said. "Rejecting its neutrality would spur its antagonism towards Russia," he said. "Russia will likely respond adequately and amass its troops along the border, which would be a threat to both countries," Zhang Guoqing said.
Discussions on Finland’s accession to NATO intensified in early April. Key members of the alliance supported the idea, and the majority of Finnish parliament members said they would favor the accession. Sweden is also considering such an option, and the country’s ruling Social Democratic Workers’ Party will hold a vote on the decision on May 15.