On a day marked by ceremonies and the symbolism of Finland’s accession as the 31st state to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, that country’s foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, demonstrated the practicality of Scandinavia.
By depositing the instruments of accession with the US State Department – the treaty signed 74 years ago in Washington and subsequent ratifications are held by the US government – in the person of Secretary Antony Blinken, that is to say at the moment that formally his country became a full member, the Finn made the first gesture. “Since we are now a member of NATO, we have a very important task. The task is actually to deposit you also our ratification for Sweden’s accession. This is our first act as a member state,” he told his North American counterpart. , together with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Before the national anthems of Finland and the Atlantic Alliance had been heard and the white and blue flag had been raised between the French tricolor and the Estonian tricolor under the eyes of the foreign ministers of the 31 countries and President Sauli Niinisto, the latter did not Forget about Sweden, which started at the same time as the accession process in May last year, but is still awaiting ratification by the parliaments of Hungary and Turkey.
“We are working with Sweden, we will continue to help them as much as possible. I have spoken with President Erdogan and I have a very positive perspective,” he said in statements to the press along with NATO’s secretary general. He recalled that all allies, including Ankara, have invited Finland and Sweden in the first place, and that more recently, after the hurdles raised by the Turks, Stockholm “has fulfilled all the commitments” of the trilateral agreement signed between the invited countries and the Turkey. “Hopefully we can have Sweden soon,” Stoltenberg predicts.
But the day came from Finland. In the short welcome speech, the Norwegian leader was proud to welcome the most recent member and praised his abilities. “Finland brings with it considerable and highly skilled troops, experience in national resilience and years of experience working side by side with allies. Finland now has the strongest friends and allies in the world.”
Stoltenberg took the opportunity to criticize Russia’s leader. “President Putin wanted to close the door on NATO. Today we showed the world that he failed. That aggression and intimidation don’t work. Instead of less NATO, he got the opposite, more NATO. And our door remains firmly open. .”
With Finland, the organization now has six neighboring countries of the Russian Federation and the border area doubles, taking into account the 1340 kilometers that separate the two countries. But for now, no major changes are expected. “We have been on board for quite some time. We have been privileged partners with Sweden for more than 10 years. And during that time we have continuously developed our capabilities to cooperate with NATO,” considered Niinisto, who does not believe in visible or radical change. “I’m sure the Finns feel safer.”
Stoltenberg, on the other hand, recalled the “iron” security guarantees the treaty gives to members. “One for all, all for one.”
Finland was one of the few Western countries not to divest from defense and security. In addition to the 12,000 professional soldiers, 20,000 people pass the national service every year. In the event of a conflict, the armed forces are prepared to call up to 280,000 civilians at the same time. In addition, Helsinki has strong air and artillery capabilities.
While leaders such as the President of the United States or the German Chancellor congratulated the newest ally, the Kremlin made no secret of its discomfort, declaring through spokesperson Dmitri Peskov that Finland’s entry into NATO would represent a “worsening of the situation” and a “violation of Russia’s security”, which will force your country to take “countermeasures”. Which? “They will be taken accordingly,” Peskov assures, after Moscow accurately noted “how NATO will explore Finland’s territory in terms of placing weapons and infrastructure in that country.”
Source: DN
