MOSCOW. Feb 14 (Interfax) - Finland in line with its security policy may take a decision to join a military alliance but is keeping status-quo for now, Finnish FM Pekka Haavisto said.
"In a recent government report on foreign and security policy published last year, we have the option of joining military alliance and applying for the membership, like it had been earlier. Nothing has changed so far, but it's up to Finns of course to decide on their own security policies," Haavisto said in an interview with Interfax and other Russian media outlets ahead of his visit to Russia.
"At the same time, we are members of the European Union but we are maintaining national room to maneuver and freedom of choice. These are also integral parts of our foreign security and defense policy," he said.
Asked if Finland views Russia as a significant threat, Haavisto said, "when international rules respecting the borders of independent countries [] are broken, this of course poses a kind of general threat to the European security."
"And that was the reason why Finland reacted so strongly among many other countries of the European Union on happenings in Ukraine and Crimea," Haavisto said.