Finland joined NATO under the impression of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto presented his country’s accession document to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday. “With the receipt of this accession document, we can now declare that Finland is the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty,” Blinken said before applause broke out. Like NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Blinken spoke of a “historic day”.
“In times like these, friends and allies are more important than ever,” said Stoltenberg. “And Finland now has the strongest friends and allies in the world.” Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to slam the door to NATO. “Today we show the world that he failed. That aggression and intimidation won’t work.” Instead of less NATO, Putin has achieved the exact opposite: more NATO.
Finland’s President sees the beginning of a new era
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö described his country’s accession to NATO as the beginning of a new era. The period of Finland’s military non-alignment has now come to an end, he declared. “A new era begins.” Prime Minister Sanna Marin also wrote on Twitter: “Finland is entering a new era as a NATO member.”
At a press conference with Stoltenberg in Brussels, Niinistö also mentioned between the lines that the people in his country had recently been voted the happiest people on earth for the sixth time in a row. “Security and stability are the elements that we feel very strongly,” he said. “If people can live in secure, stable conditions, this is the basic element of a happy life.”
Congratulations from all over the world
Numerous heads of state and government of other NATO countries immediately sent congratulations to Brussels and Helsinki. The fact that Finland is now a NATO member is good news and a win for transatlantic security, said Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Twitter. “With Finland, our defense alliance is growing with a strong friend.”
Following the presentation of the certificate, the Finnish flag was hoisted for the first time in front of the NATO headquarters – alphabetically between those of Estonia and France. “31 flags are flying together as a symbol of our unity and our solidarity,” said Stoltenberg at the ceremony, which was also attended by Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her colleagues from the other member states. Immediately after the celebration, they came together for the first NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, in which Finland took part as an official member. Haavisto was greeted with applause.
Exactly 74 years after the founding of NATO
Less than a year ago, under the impression of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Finland jointly applied for membership in the alliance with Sweden. Finland’s admission came exactly 74 years after NATO was founded on April 4, 1949 in Washington. Stoltenberg said he could hardly think of anything better than to celebrate the birthday with Finland joining.
The Kremlin, which criticized its neighbor’s NATO accession as a threat to its own security, was in no mood to celebrate. “NATO expansion is an attack on our security and on Russia’s national interests,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, according to the Interfax news agency. Accordingly, Russia is forced to take countermeasures.
1340 km long border with Russia
Finland shares a 1340 km border with Russia. The accession is probably one of the most far-reaching geopolitical consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For decades, the Nordic country with its approximately 5.5 million inhabitants had placed great value on freedom from military alliances. With the accession of Finland, the NATO external border towards Russia has now more than doubled.
Sweden also wants to become a NATO member. However, this accession has so far been blocked by the alliance members Türkiye and Hungary. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Swedish politicians of a lack of action against “terrorist organizations”. Ankara is primarily concerned with the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK. Hungary, on the other hand, recently criticized Swedish statements on the rule of law and corruption – although the Swedes had not expected any objections from Budapest for a long time.
On Tuesday, Stoltenberg once again underlined the importance of Sweden becoming a NATO member. “It’s a top priority for the alliance. It’s important to me personally,” he said.
