Finland has decided to apply for membership of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Alliance), the country’s president and prime minister announced on Sunday, abandoning decades of military non-alignment after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s a historic day. A new era begins,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö declared at a press conference, making official what he had been signaling he would do since last week.
“We will achieve security and extend it to the Baltic Sea region and to the entire alliance,” he told reporters.
The Finnish parliament is due to examine the accession bill on Monday, but analysts believe the vast majority of lawmakers support the initiative. Sweden must also apply to join the treaty, following Helsinki and abandoning decades of neutrality.
Finland, which shares a 1,300 km border with Russia, remained a non-aligned country for 75 years. But after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, political consensus and public opinion leaned in favor of joining the military alliance.
Finnish President and Prime Minister Sanna Marin had announced on Thursday that they were in favor of joining the Atlantic Alliance “without delay”.
On Saturday, Niinistö called his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to let him know that the country was about to apply for membership. Putin replied that it would be a mistake for the country to abandon its neutrality and join the treaty.
Moscow has warned on several occasions of consequences if Helsinki and Stockholm join the alliance.
More reticent to abandon a neutrality that dates back to the 19th century, Sweden is also moving quickly to formalize a candidacy for the military alliance.
After internal debates last week, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s Social Democrats are expected to show themselves this Sunday that they are in favor of accession. The leaders of the party, the biggest of all elections since the last century, are expected to win the internal discussions and support joining the bloc, which would give a large majority to those in favor of the candidacy in the Swedish Parliament – much of the opposition is already in favor.
The next step would be a formal request from the Andersson government.
Peaceful since the Napoleonic Wars, Sweden has been more reluctant to set aside its non-alignment than Finland, which fought bloody conflict with the Soviet Union in the 20th century.
An application for membership would represent a tense wait during the months it takes for ratification by all NATO members — Turkey has already raised objections — though the alliance and the White House said they were confident any security concerns could be addressed. in this period.
Finn Niinisto expressed his willingness on Sunday to speak with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan about his concerns. As a member of Otar, Turkey can veto new members.
