Finland formally joined the NATO military alliance on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Finland becomes the 31st member of the alliance.
The Finnish Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto signed the accession document, and handed it to US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.
“I’m tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russia’s aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward.”
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken
Blinken made this comment just before accepting the documents that made Finland’s membership official.
The Nordic country’s membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance and represents a major change in Europe’s security landscape.
Finland adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II. However, its leaders indicated that they wanted to join the alliance just months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The move is a strategic and political blow to Putin, who has long complained about NATO’s expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.
“This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger,” NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Tuesday.
“President Putin had a declared goal of the invasion of NATO to get less NATO along its borders and no more membership in Europe, he’s getting exactly the opposite.”
Jens Stoltenberg
Finnish President, Sauli Niinisto averred, “It’s a great day for Finland and an important day for NATO, too.”
“Russia tried to create a sphere around them and, well, we are not a sphere. I’m sure that Finns themselves feel more secure, that we are living in a more stable world.”
Sauli Niinisto, President of Finland
Niinisto iterated that Finland’s membership “is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue.”
Sweden has also applied to join NATO but objections from NATO members; Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.
Finland’s entry, marked with a flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters, fell on the organization’s very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance’s Foreign Ministers.
Fundamental Change In The Situation In Northern Europe
Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that the country “will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finland’s accession to NATO.”
It added that Finland’s move marks “a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.”
Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov disclosed on Tuesday that Finland’s membership reflects the alliance’s anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there.
However, Peskov also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.
It’s not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier said that no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.
“There will be no NATO troops in Finland without the consent of Finland,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels a few hours before the country joined.
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