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All Points North

APN podcast: Will Finland join Nato without Sweden?

This week's show asks if Finland can complete Nato accession without its Nordic neighbour, delves into the government’s energy subsidies, and learns more about Finland’s mysterious naming committee.

An image of protestors setting fire to the Swedish flag outside the Swedish consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Protestors in Istanbul set fire to a Swedish flag outside Sweden's embassy in the city.
  • Yle News

As Sweden's diplomatic relationship with Turkey deteriorates further, All Points North asks if Finland joining the Nato alliance ahead of its Nordic neighbour is a viable option — especially in light of comments by Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green).

"Now we know that there is a Plan B, for a scenario in which Sweden’s Nato membership bid would freeze for a longer period of time, months or even years," Researcher Matti Pesu of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs told APN.

"But proceeding together with Sweden is an absolute priority for Finland, and circumstances must change for Finland to consider a solo entry."

Finland’s Nato dilemma
Finland's Nato Dilemma

What’s in a name?

The publication of a list of approved and rejected names by Finland's naming committee attracted a lot of attention, and APN asked Helsinki-based comedian Jamie MacDonald for his thoughts on that age-old question: what's in a name?

"The point that is often made is that if you can learn to pronounce Tchaikovsky, you can pronounce any name on the planet. It's not that these names are difficult, it's just that there is a Western culture bias," MacDonald said.

Join the discussion

This week's show was presented by Ronan Browne and Denise Wall. The sound engineer was Anders Johansson.

If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, contact us via WhatsApp on +358 44 421 0909, on our Facebook or Twitter accounts, or at yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.