Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat interviewed US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham during his visit to Finland on Wednesday.
Graham told HS that Nato should establish a Centre for Excellence in Finland, which could focus on artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Nato operates 28 different Centres of Excellence throughout its member states where experts research topics considered important to the alliance. In 2008, for example, Nato established its Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia.
During his visit, Graham said he discussed the matter with President Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) and Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen (NCP).
"I think we should formalise what Finland has to offer, as we did with Estonia. A competence centre should be established here, which could benefit the whole of Nato," Graham said.
After his visit to Finland, Graham told HS he plans to discuss the establishment of such a Nato presence in Finland when he meets with the incoming Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, former PM of the Netherlands on Friday.
However, the Ministry of Defence told Yle in May that Finland is not actively courted a Nato Centre of Excellence, due to it actively promoting the establishment of a Nato ground force sub-headquarters.
Graham also lauded Finland's shipbuilding industry, commitment to defence spending and the future of the war in Ukraine — where he stands as one of Ukraine's biggest allies in the US Republican party.
"There is no better example of what a good Nato member country looks like than Finland. Finland is a security provider and brings added value to Nato," Graham told HS.
Graham, a senator from the state of South Carolina, also commented on Stubb's university days in his home state in a press release on his visit to Finland.
"President Stubb is also a Furman University graduate who played on the golf team. What more could you want in an ally?"
Business community frowns at three-month rule
Business daily Kauppalehti ran an editorial criticising the government's three-month rule for foreign workers, which stipulates that if a worker on a worker residence visa loses their position, they must find a job within three months or they are subject to deportation.
KL noted that on most accounts, Prime Minister Petter Orpo's government has received positive feedback from businesses. However, on this aspect of the government programme, the government has drawn ire from the business community with the Central Chambers of Commerce criticising the policy on Wednesday.
The business lobbyist said the policy is likely to make Finland less attractive to foreign experts and increase the bureaucratic burden on companies.
According to the draft law, a person must leave Finland if their employment relationship ends and they have not entered into a new employment relationship within three months. However, for specialists, growth entrepreneurs and managers, for example, the limit is six months.
The employer must also inform the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) of the termination of the employment relationship, under penalty of sanctions.
On Tuesday, a hearing was held on the bill in Parliament. The message from business, particularly among start-ups, has been very critical.
The editorial pointed out Finland's low ranking in the Expat Insider survey and struggle to attract top foreign talent and said such laws will not help the Finnish economy grow.
Reeling Rooney
Topi Keskinen, a striker for the Finnish national U-21 team, joined Aberdeen from Helsinki side HJK Helsinki on Monday.
So far though, it is not the player's skill on the pitch that has made the biggest splash in the seaside Scottish city.
Rather, the 21-year-old's peculiar tattoo of English football star Wayne Rooney has made a few in UK sports media scratch their heads, tabloid Ilta-Sanomat wrote. However, the young footballer had a perfectly reasonable explanation for his ink.
"I've been a Wayne Rooney fan since I was a kid and I love fishing also. If I get tattoos, I want them to mean something," Keskinen said.
He also made an appeal to fans in the Scottish Sun newspaper.
“So I want to say to the fans - if there's some fishermen there who want to show me the good fishing spots here, I'm happy to go fishing."
IS wrote that this was not the first time that Keskinen's tattoo became a topic of discussion in the UK. TNT reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt joked about it last autumn when Aberdeen faced HJK in the UEFA Conference League.
Keskinen did not comment on Rooney's difficult start to his career as manager of Plymouth Argyle, who lost 4-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in their first match of the season on Sunday.
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