It is already tomorrow, Tuesday, that Finland will join NATO, Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, confirmed today.
After the green light of all 30 NATO member states for Finland’s accession, the ceremony of raising the flag of the new country of the military alliance will take place next Tuesday. A ceremony that takes place exactly on the day that NATO celebrates its 74th birthday.
“It’s a really historic day,” Stoltenberg said. It’s a big day for the alliance,” he added.
“Tomorrow we welcome Finland as its 31st member,” the head of the Atlantic Alliance told journalists on the eve of a historic meeting of foreign ministers at NATO in Brussels.
Finland will join NATO on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
President @Ninisto will travel to Brussels and attend an accession ceremony at NATO Headquarters. https://t.co/T3qr7NxTXm
– TPKanslia (@TPKanslia) April 3, 2023
Finland’s application for membership came at the same time as Sweden’s, shortly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The two countries thus abandoned the policy of military non-alignment that characterized them.
Finland’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance is subject to final ratification by Hungary and Turkey, the member states that have not yet ratified Sweden’s accession, whose process was separate from Finland’s candidacy.
“So far this is the fastest accession process in NATO’s modern history,” Stoltenberg said, referring to Finland, which will be “safer” by joining the organization. The Atlantic Alliance, on the other hand, will be “stronger,” he believed.
“We are going to raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO Headquarters. It will be a good day for Finnish security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole,” he stressed.
Source: DN
