UK Ambassador Laura Davies says that Finland is just about the perfect recruit for NATO – but why has this career diplomat fallen in love with Finland in just a matter of months? Madame Ambassador will make her first trip to Kouvola in September to catch the Security Conference 2025.
British Ambassador Laura Davies believes that Russia is doing “incalculable harm” in Ukraine – and is wildly active on more clandestine fronts, as well. From assassinations on foreign soil to hacking e-mail accounts and spreading disinformation, Russian operators have certainly kept busy.
“We are now seeing a full spectrum of operations being deployed. The answer here is to recognize when it’s happening and take firm action against it,” says Davies who took up her position as His Majesty’s Ambassador to Finland in November 2024.
The key is to work together to combat the Russian legion of dirty tricks. “As the threat of hybrid operations grows all the time, we are working with our allies to fight against it,” she says, adding that such bastions as the Hybrid Centre of Excellence, located in Helsinki, are crucial in this effort.
Born ready
According to Davies, Finland is clearly one of the leaders of the pack when it comes to security in Europe. She points out that Finnish military capabilities, as well as attitudes and alertness, are top notch – and the country is not known to harbor any illusions about Russia, either. Also, the Finnish reaction time is quick when faced with, say, cable-cutting vessels on the Baltic Sea.
“The comprehensive, national readiness to react to threats may well be a Finnish superpower,” she says.
Davies says that it is this culture of readiness that is highly attractive in our turbulent times. “Whenever I have visitors from the UK, they are very keen to hear all about the things that the Finns are doing to be ready for all eventualities.”
Clear eyes, full hearts
Davies believes that Finland has built its security concept on a very simple virtue:
“Finland is very clear-sighted about these issues and has always been serious about national defense, for example.”
Great Britain was the first country to offer security guarantees to Finland prior to official NATO membership – and Finns and Brits do appear to see eye-to-eye on a whole range of issues.
“We have the same clarity with regards to Ukraine and Russia, for instance,” Davies believes. “We have the same values and are instinctively comfortable with each other.”
After the honeymoon
And once Finland joined NATO, Davies commented that everybody in the alliance felt a little more safe as a result. The Finns themselves are elated to have joined up so far – but will this last?
After all, NATO might insist on infrastructure moves in Finland that not everybody will like, for instance. Davies acknowledges that the introduction of Finland to the alliance has “revolutionized” the NATO map, adding 1,300 kilometers of land border with Russia. Standing guard over an area this vast is no trivial matter and might require new bases or troops.
“There may be difficult questions in the future, yes, but the word I’ve received from British generals and commanding officers is that the Finns are extremely welcoming and all collaboration is working great.”
Falling for Finland
Davies is a career diplomat with 28 years of experience from various posts, with stints in Africa, South Asia and Europe under her belt. She admits that diplomats tend to be smitten by their host countries, but this time around it’s little extra:
“I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Finland,” she confesses, adding that she is even a fan of ice swimming now.
“It’s all in the quality of the relationship which is just exceptional.”
According to Davies, it is likely that the British sense of humor is “dark enough for Finns” which bodes well for all types of collaborations.
“And what else is ‘stiff upper lip,’ if not ‘sisu’ in a warmer climate,” offers Davies who is already mastering Finnish language quite admirably.