Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1939, Page 388

378
LE NORD
the conference of Northern Mini-
sters included a representative of
Finland for the first time. The neu-
trality policy of Finland, testified
to by the Finnish Foreign Minister
in the Finnish Parliament in 1934,
makes possible a wider collabora-
tion among the Northern countries”
(Preface, note 1). It is unquestion-
able that the political attitude of
Finland during the first ten years
in important respects differed from
the three old Northern States and
was more closely related to that of
the Baltic States. This was especial-
ly true with regard to the problems
connected with the policy of sanc-
tions and the so-called collective
security. Finland had not partici-
pated in the preparatory work done
by the Danish, Norwegian and
Swedish committees appointed ac-
cording to the resolution of the con-
ference of Northern Ministers in
Oslo in November 1917 in order
to elaborate jointly a common plan
for an international juridical or-
ganization, neither did Finland take
part in the famous debate at Hotel
Crillon in Paris March 20—21,
1919, when the “neutral” States
were admitted to lay their views
before the representatives of the
allied and associated Powers with
regard to the draft of the Covenant
adopted on the 14th of February
1919. The views, which on this oc-
casion were maintained by the Nor-
thern countries, have, as far as the
essential points go, been permanent-
ly decisive for the policy of these
States towards the League. They
must be understood and judged
on the special historical premises,
which are the basis of the Scandi-
navian efforts, to avoid any parti-
cipation in a system of international
engagements, which might bind
their freedom of action and involve
them in political conflicts, where
even the independence of the state
was imperilled. As an independent
state Finland was at this time still
in being and had not the same
historical experience, on which to
build a policy, as the three other
Northern countries. Therefore it
must be admitted that considering
the planning and structure of the
present work, it was difficult to in-
clude Finland in the League-policy
of the “Scandinavian bloc”. But on
the other side it ought to be empha-
sized that Finland in many impor-
tant fields immediately after 1920
took part in the common Scandi-
navian work, that this successively
extended to various sides of the ac-
tivity of the League of Nations and
that, at any rate from 1934, Fin-
land also politically must be
reckoned among the Scandinavian
or rather Northern States. The latest
important events in the Baltic-
policy (the question of Aland) has
clearly proved this. The neutrality
policy of Finland to-day is com-
pletely congruent with that of the
other Northern countries and also
in the League-policy Finland co-
operates closely with these States.
It is necessary to emphasize this to