ALAND ISLAND

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 October 1939, Page 4

ALAND ISLAND

THEIR STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE The Aland Islands, which have been

- figuring in the negotiations between Russia and Finland, caused a storm - early this year because Finland and I Sweden moved to fortify them, and to JI develop anew the naval bases there; d which were demilitarised in 1921. The • islands lie in the narrow entrance to lithe Gulf of Bothnia and are very I important in Baltic naval strategy. The 1921 agreement was an international 'convention and came about when the 'dispute between Finland and Sweden was referred- to the League of Nations by Britain. The independence of i Finland after the World War was folI lowed by an expressed desire on the 1 part of the islanders to return to j Sweden, and the League decided in ! favour of Finnish sovereignity. The convention was signed by the British ■ Empire countries, France, and Italy, 'and by all the Baltic nations except Russia. Finland’s right to take measures in the islands depended on her fearing immediate attack, and the measures were limited to such as would . enable her to hold back an aggressor! until the League and the signatoryj Powers could intervene. Until recent!* years Finland and Sweden (the capital of which is only 15 minutes by air f from the Aland Islands) considered ( this arrangement satisfactory. But the < era of adventures in Europe brought s

a desire for action and in July last year they sought the ending of the convention, and the consequent ending of the neutrality of the islands. Both countries are afraid of the way in which the strategic, situation could be used to apply pressure to them if a great Power obtained possession of the Alands. The first move by the two Baltic States was checked by the Czecho-Slovak crisis of September. They thereupon agreed to move the neutralised zone to the north so that ; certain outlying islands might be I exempted from the prohibition. This | act brought strong representations from Russia which opposed it on the ground that the Finns were “pro-Ger-man,” Russia’s present coastline (an extremely short one) lies up the Gulf of Finland which is dominated by the Aland Islands. However, a joint Finnish-Swedish agreement to fortify the islands was announced early this year. The Aland Islands are a remarkable group physically. Though their total area is only about 550 square miles, there are about 300 islands in. the group. A.bout 80 of them are inhabited, principally by seamen and fishermen.