Mikael Böök

kristine karch

Allen Jasson

Ludo De Brabander

Daniel Good

Herman Michiel

Alain ROUY

Michael S Goodman

John Miksad

1. The most important task of foreign and defence policy is to reduce threats to one's own country in a way that creates security in all countries through diplomacy and cooperation on equal terms. 
 
2. We do not want to contribute to the strengthening of the division of the world into mutually hostile military blocs. Instead, we need more non-aligned countries pursuing an independent foreign policy for common security and disarmament. 
 
3. We want our countries to join the UN Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Membership of a military alliance preparing for war with nuclear weapons would go in the opposite direction and increase the risk of nuclear weapons being used against our countries or in our neighbourhood. Membership would oblige us, under Article 5 of the NATO Charter, to participate militarily if any other Member State were attacked. 
 
4. NATO has been waging war for decades in violation of the UN Charter's prohibition of violence, the most important safeguard for small states against the arbitrariness of great powers. The bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and of Libya in 2011 to drive its leaders from power are examples. We also believe that Sweden's and Finland's participation in the Afghan war was a foreseeable disaster, which must not be repeated. We want our countries to stay out of NATO's wars. 
 
5. War and rearmament are highly destructive to the climate and the environment and lead to refugee crises. By staying out of NATO, our countries can better contribute to averting the threat of ecological collapse, while preserving greater freedom to use our assets for peace-building, public health and the well-being of all people. 
 
6. We want Sweden and Finland to take determined confidence-building measures that reduce tension between the major powers in our neighbourhood. By such measures we mean impartial reporting of all sides' perspectives and refraining from creating enemy images, as well as risk-reducing measures such as the Finnish proposal that military aircraft should use transponders. 
 
7. Sweden's and Finland's host country agreements with NATO are contrary to our countries' freedom of alliance. We want the host country agreements to be terminated and instead seek peaceful and constructive relations with our neighbours and all other countries. This can be done in the context of a major settlement on detente and arms limitation agreements through a new Helsinki Conference on European Security. 
 
8. NATO's transformation from a transatlantic defence alliance into an alliance of global interests with partners on all continents increases tensions both with the rest of the world and within NATO. Our countries can better promote detente and common security if they preserve and consolidate their military non-alignment and equally reject violations of international law wherever they occur. 
 
9. NATO membership would further strengthen NATO's influence in the Nordic region. We do not want the one-sided picture of the political and military situation painted by NATO-affiliated think tanks such as the Atlantic Council and the NATO Strategic Communications Centre in Riga (Stratcom) to become all-pervasive, nor do we want those who criticise NATO and speak in favour of détente, disarmament, non-alignment and peace to be painted as carriers of Russian disinformation. 
 
10. We face the threat of ecological collapse and nuclear war. It is time to wake up and do our best for the survival of humanity. 
For the signatories, visit https://www.skrivunder.com/finland_och_sverige_ska_sta_utanfor_nato_och_fora_en_fredspolitik

Finland and Sweden should remain outside NATO and pursue a policy of peace