Finland to become 31st Nato member on April 4
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An empty pole between flags of Nato members outside the Nato headquarters in Brussels, on April 3, 2023, ahead of Finland’s accession to the organisation.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BRUSSELS – Finland’s flag will be hoisted outside Nato headquarters on Tuesday when it becomes the newest member of the Western alliance, said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
“Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the 31st member,” Mr Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a historic meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 upended European security and pushed Finland – and its neighbour Sweden – to drop decades of non-alignment and seek to join Nato’s protective umbrella.
Objections from Turkey and Hungary held up Helsinki’s bid for months, and are still blocking Stockholm, before the Parliament in Ankara cleared the final obstacle for Finland with a vote last week.
Completing the ratification in well under a year still makes this the fastest membership process in the alliance’s recent history.
Now, all that is left are the last highly choreographed formalities at Nato headquarters in Brussels.
Finland’s Foreign Minister will hand over the formal accession papers to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the keeper of Nato’s founding treaty, and the country’s blue-and-white flag will be raised alongside those of its new allies.
Finland President Sauli Niinisto will speak at the event, Helsinki said.
“President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a clear aim to get less Nato,” said Mr Stoltenberg.
“He’s getting the exact opposite.” AFP
