Finland is set to become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday, Secretary General Stoltenberg said.
The country’s flag is raised in front of the NATO headquarters as the country becomes the newest member of the western alliance.
“Tomorrow we will welcome Finland as the 31st member,” Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a historic meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö will travel to Brussels and participate in an official membership ceremony held at NATO headquarters, the president’s office said in a statement.
Finland will deposit its accession documents to the United States government at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, April 4th, ahead of the NATO foreign ministerial meeting.
Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto makes the deposit. The flag-raising ceremony celebrating Finland’s NATO membership will take place at NATO headquarters after the deposit of the accession document.
President Niinistö and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will give speeches at the event. Before the start of the event, the president and the secretary general have a bilateral meeting and a joint press conference.
Meanwhile, Russia has said it will increase its military capabilities in the western and north-western regions in response to Finland’s expected NATO membership. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the official RIA news agency: “We will increase our military potential in the western and northwestern directions. If the armed forces and assets of other NATO members are stationed in Finland, we will take additional measures to reliably ensure Russia’s military security.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, Finland and neighboring Sweden were forced to break with decades of nonalignment and join NATO’s protective umbrella.
Turkey and Hungary oppose that country’s accession and maintained Helsinki’s candidacy for months. The two countries are still on the Stockholm road to NATO. Ankara’s parliament cleared Finland’s final hurdle in voting last week. The entire process was completed in less than a year and is considered the fastest merger process in recent alliance history. Final formalities are completed at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
(With inputs from agencies)
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