While the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out over the latter’s desire to join NATO and Moscow’s rejection of this desire, the President and Prime Minister of Finland stated that they supported joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and that a formal decision would be made by the President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sana Marin said in a joint statement that Finland should immediately apply to join NATO. Niinistö has long played the role of an intermediary between Russia and the West.
“NATO membership will strengthen Finland’s security,” the statement said. By joining NATO, Finland will increase the strength of the entire defense alliance.” positive attitude towards joining NATO.
Russian warnings about the consequences of joining
Niinistö said that “joining NATO won’t be against anyone”, amid Russian warnings about the consequences of Helsinki’s push to join the Western military alliance, and said his response to Russia would be “you caused it”.
In light of tensions between the West and Russia, Marin said it was “highly unlikely” that Helsinki would put forward its candidacy for NATO membership during the current term, which ends in April 2023.
But after its eastern neighbor invaded Ukraine on February 24, public and political opinion in Finland shifted sharply in favor of membership to deter any Russian aggression.
Finnish Foreign Minister: We will become a member in October
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said he believes his country will become a full member of NATO by the “earliest” date of 1 October.
“The NATO Secretary General said that this process would take four to 12 months. I was under the impression that this period could be closer to four months than a year.”
76% of Finnish people support accession
An opinion poll published by Finnish broadcaster Yle showed that a record 76 percent of Finns now support joining the alliance, compared to 20-30 percent in recent years.
Finland shares a 1,300 km border with Russia and has not been an ally militarily for decades.
NATO membership is the “best option” for Finland’s security
Eero Sarka, a NATO expert at the University of Helsinki, told AFP ahead of the announcement that Niinistö, who has avoided disclosing his position on membership, has repeatedly hinted that he is leaning towards supporting the bid.
“The president is no longer talking about a defense option for the EU or Finland’s role as a mediator between East and West,” she said.
The Parliamentary Defense Committee concluded that NATO membership would be the “best option” for Finland’s security, and the Russian invasion had an impact on the security situation in Europe.
Membership is supported by the majority of Finnish parliamentarians.
“It’s 100 percent certain that Finland will apply and it’s highly likely that it will become a member by the end of the year,” Charlie Salonius-Pasternak, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told AFP.
Neighboring Sweden is also considering joining NATO, and the two countries are widely expected to jointly apply for membership.
Sweden Our entry promotes security in the Baltic region
Sweden, like its neighbor Finland, is moving towards NATO membership, which will ensure its military security, as well as its obligations in the Baltic Sea and in the face of Russia, and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told members of her party that joining NATO will put countries “special responsibility” for security in the Baltic Sea, according to an article published by the Swedish news agency TT.
“If Sweden is attacked, we will have a better chance of getting the support of other countries, but you will also provide security guarantees,” the Bloomberg news agency quoted the article as saying.
Sweden, along with its Scandinavian neighbor Finland, began discussing NATO membership after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Andersen also told her party members that if Finland decides to join the military alliance, “Sweden will be more vulnerable if we don’t become a member.” Answering a question about the possible presence of nuclear weapons in Sweden, the Prime Minister referred to the example of the Social Democrats in Norway. “They (members) have been in NATO for a long time, but they are incredibly active internationally in terms of mediation and disarmament,” she said.
Earlier, two weeks ago, Moscow warned of plans for the two Scandinavian countries to join NATO.
