HELSINKI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila on Wednesday said a large military exercise would possibly be held in Finland in 2020, but the preparation was still at an early stage.
Sipila said that the plan is compatible with the government defense policy. "But this very exercise and its contents have not yet been accepted yet," he said.
He reiterated that increased international exercises are part of the current Finnish defense policy, reported Finnish news agency.
Sipila said the plan would be discussed together with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and the relevant cabinet members in December.
The forum for discussion in December is the regular meeting of the ministerial group for foreign and security affairs.
Finnish plans about international military exercises are reviewed and given a political "go ahead" in this group meeting, chaired by President Niinisto.
The meeting due in December will primarily review the situation in 2018, but will take a look at 2020 as well.
Earlier, Finnish Defense Minister Jussi Niinisto promoted the idea publicly. During the meetings of defense ministers from several NATO countries as well as Finland and Sweden in Helsinki on Monday and Tuesday, Jussi Niinisto gave invitations to join the maneuver. He later underlined the invitations were informal.
President Sauli Niinisto intervened on Monday and said he had not been informed about the plan. The president's comment came as he had just met visiting U.S. Secretary of State James Mattis.
Since then, also members of the parliamentary defense committee have voiced concern about lack of information.
Under the current constitution in Finland, foreign policy is managed jointly by the president and the government.
