Fearing that they might be targeted after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, the Nordic neighbours Finland and Sweden abandoned their traditional positions of military non-alignment to seek protection under NATO's security umbrella
Finland will become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) today, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. It cleared the last hurdles of becoming a NATO member earlier in the week as alliance members Turkey and Hungary signed off the country's membership bid.
The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon, “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.”
Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland's membership, will hand its official texts to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. He further said he would then invite Finland to do the same. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen will attend the ceremony, along with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.
“It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasise NATO's support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region,” Haavisto said in a statement.
The development comes as Finnish voters gave a boost to conservative parties in a weekend election, depriving left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin of another term.
Fearing that they might be targeted after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, the Nordic neighbours Finland and Sweden abandoned their traditional positions of military non-alignment to seek protection under NATO's security umbrella. All 30 allies signed Finland's and Sweden's accession protocols.
Sweden's bid was stalled due to strong opposition from Turkiye, whose president said his country would not ratify membership before its disputes with Stockholm were resolved.
While Sweden’s NATO membership remains in progress, the country’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, congratulated Finland on its success.
Turkiye and Hungary delayed the process for months but have relented on Finland. Turkiye has sought guarantees and assurances from the two, notably on tackling extremism. Hungary's demands have never been explicit. NATO must agree unanimously for new members to join.
(With inputs from AP)