FINLAND BECOMES 31ST MEMBER OF NATO IN BRUSSELS CEREMONY AS UKRAINE WAR RAGES

Tue 04 Apr 2023:

After Finland officially joined NATO as its 31st member, the blue-and-white flag of the Nordic nation was raised outside Nato’s headquarters in Brussels alongside those of its western allies.

The ceremony on Tuesday marked a historic realignment of Europe’s security landscape, and attendees included the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, as well as the Finnish president, foreign, and defense ministers.

“It’s a great day for Finland and an important day for Nato,” said Finland’s president, Sauli Niinistö. “Russia tried to create a sphere around them and … we’re not a sphere. I’m sure Finns themselves feel more secure that we are living in a more stable world.”

Joe Biden warmly welcomed the completion of Finland’s accelerated accession process, saying Nato had shown itself more united than ever after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression, he thought he could divide Europe and Nato. He was wrong,” the US presidentsaid, adding that he also “looked forward to welcoming Sweden as a Nato member as soon as possible”.

Sweden and Finland – which shares a 1,340km (830 mile) border with Russia – submitted simultaneous membership applications last May, abandoning decades of military nonalignment to seek security as Nato members after the Russian invasion.

While Turkey last week became the last Nato member to ratify Finland’s application, Turkey and Hungary continue to delay Sweden’s. Ankara accuses Stockholm of sheltering Kurdish militants, while Budapest has “grievances” about Swedish criticism of the rule of law in Hungary.

Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said: “We welcome Finland to the alliance.”

Finland “now has the strongest friends and allies in the world”, Stoltenberg said, adding before the ceremony: “Finland today, and soon also Sweden, will become a full-fledged member of the alliance.”

“President Putin had as a declared goal of the invasion of Ukraine to get less Nato,” Stoltenberg said. “He is getting exactly the opposite.” Blinken echoed the sentiment, saying Putin had “once again precipitated something he claims to want to prevent”.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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