“It is a historic day”, proclaimed the Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Coinciding with its 74th anniversary, NATO officially welcomed Finland on Tuesday as a full member, adding a total of 31 allies. A drastic turn in the traditional neutrality policy of the Nordic country that is explained by the aggressive war of Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. With the entry of Finland, NATO doubles its land border with Russia: from 1,200 to 2,500 kilometers.
Russia has warned that Finland’s accession to NATO will force it to take “countermeasures” (although he has not specified which ones) and increases the possibility that the conflict in Ukraine will worsen even more. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, has said this Tuesday that the enlargement of NATO constitutes “an intrusion in our security and in the national interests of Russia”. The Russian authorities have also threatened to increase the military presence near the border with Finland.
The celebration at the NATO headquarters in Brussels has been partly overshadowed by being left out of Sweden, who asked to join the club at the same time as Finland, but whose invitation has not been ratified by Turkey and Hungary. “We would like to join NATO too, it’s no secret. But Finland becoming a full member will be beneficial both for Finland itself and for Sweden,” said the Swedish Foreign Minister, Tobias Billstrom.
[Finlandia entrará mañana en la Alianza Atlántica: “Putin quería menos OTAN y ha logrado lo contrario”]
Billström still hopes that Sweden will be able to follow Finland’s steps before the next NATO summit, which will be held in Vilnius in July, after the elections in Turkey have passed. The president of United States, Joe Bidenhas asked both Turkey and Hungary to “conclude the ratification process without delay”.
President Recep Tayipp Erdogan has blocked the Swedish candidacy on the grounds that the Nordic country harbors Kurdish activists that Ankara considers terrorists. His Foreign Minister replies that he has already complied with everything agreed at the Madrid summit last year and recalls that extraditions depend on the courts.
Stoltenberg has said it is up to Helsinki to decide whether to host Atlantic Alliance forces on its territory. “There will be no NATO troops in Finland without the consent of Finland. In many countries we have naval and air exercises or presence, but no permanent bases. And this has not been raised so far in our talks with Finland,” said the Secretary General.
Nor has the Finnish Foreign Minister, Antti Kaikkonen, clarified whether he plans to host allied bases and has limited himself to pointing out that “Finland will play an active role in NATO in the future”. The accession occurs in full change of government in Helsinki, after the electoral defeat of the prime minister who requested entry, the social democrat Sanna Marin. The winner in the elections Petteri Orpoleader of the National Coalition Party (center-right), is also in favor of NATO and maintaining aid to Ukraine.
The Finnish flag-raising ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels
For Stoltenberg, the accession of Finland”is the result of the war against President Putin’s aggression in Ukraine”. “By becoming a full member, we are removing the possibility of a miscalculation in Moscow about NATO’s determination to protect Finland. And that makes Finland safer and NATO stronger,” he stressed.
“I’m trying to say that this is the only thing for which we should thank Mr Putin. Because he was the one who precipitated something he said he wanted to prevent. The Russian aggression made many countries realize that they have to do more for their own defense and to deter possible future Russian aggression,” said US Secretary of State, anthony blinken.
“The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö proclaimed during the flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters. Being a full member of the Atlantic Alliance, Finland is already covered by the collective defense clause of Article 5 of the Treaty, something that is not yet the case with Sweden.
“Finland’s accession (to NATO) is not directed against anyone. Nor does it change the foundations or objectives of Finland’s foreign and security policy. Finland is a stable and predictable Nordic country that seeks the peaceful resolution of disputes,” says Niinistö, who has also expressed his wish that Sweden can join the club as soon as possible.
