Finland will be full member of NATO’, says its chief Stoltenberg despite Russia’s concerns
After a series of twists and turns, Finland is set to become the official member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on 4th April .
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, on 3rd April, confirmed Helsinki will become the 31st member of the world’s biggest military alliance on Tuesday, and that he hopes its neighbour Sweden can join in the coming months.
“This is a historic week,” Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance. “The former Norwegian prime minister said 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.”
Turkey was the last country to clear Finland’s NATO bid
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 4th April. Stoltenberg 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 for Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region,” Haavisto said in a statement.
Development came after Sanna’s lost polls
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. 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.
(This story has not been edited by News Mania staff and is published from inputs of AP)
