President Niinistö: Makarov’s NATO comments reveal flawed analysis
On Thursday it was the turn of Finnish President Sauli Niinistö to meet General Nikolai Makarov, head of the Russian armed forces. Makarov created a stir earlier in the week when he criticised Finnish cooperation with NATO, saying it posed a threat to Russia.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö took his turn Thursday deconstructing the controversial comments on Finnish cooperation with NATO by the visiting head of the Russian armed forces, General Nikolai Makarov.
Niinistö said that General Makarov’s comments were based on flawed analysis.
Niinistö wondered why Makarov had not familiarised himself with Finnish policy laid out in the government’s programmes, reports, or in interviews with the President (Niinistö).
He did not however adopt a position on whether or not Makarov’s statements represented the view of Russian premier Vladimir Putin. For his part, the visiting General thought it was good to discuss the matter.
President Niinistö met with General Makarov at his official residence Mäntyniemi Thursday morning.
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