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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced Monday that Finland will officially join the military bloc on Tuesday.
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“As of tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance,” thus contributing to “Finland’s security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole,” Stoltenberg told a press conference.
As the 31st member of the bloc, Finland’s flag will be raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday in a ceremony to coincide with a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
The move came after Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved Parliament’s decision to ratify Helsinki’s bid to join the U.S.-led military bloc.
#Finland will join NATO on Tuesday, a step that will make Finland safer and the alliance stronger, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.
“We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at #NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland’s security” he said. pic.twitter.com/lFjVlqjUPI
— The Narrations (@thenarrations)
April 3, 2023
On May 18, 2022, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership, abandoning their position of neutrality amid Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Both countries signed on July 5, 2022, the protocols for joining the military bloc, which require ratification by all 30 member countries.
In the case of Sweden’s accession to NATO, Stoltenberg said that trilateral meetings between Sweden, Finland and Türkiye will continue.
Russia, for its part, said it will respond by reinforcing its military potential on its western and northwestern borders. On several occasions, Moscow has warned that Europe’s security will not be strengthened by NATO’s expansion, as its aim is confrontation.
“In case forces and assets of other NATO members are deployed in Finland, we will take additional measures to reliably ensure Russia’s military security,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.
