World
The Finnish flag was hoisted along with the flags of other 30 state members of NATO at the alliance's HQ in Brussels on April 4, 2023. Photo: NATO
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Finland on Tuesday officially became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after months of delay caused by opposition from Hungary and Turkey.
“Finland has today become a member of the defence alliance NATO. The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement on Tuesday.
“NATO membership strengthens our international position and room for manoeuvre. As a partner, we have long actively participated in NATO activities. In the future, Finland will make a contribution to NATO’s collective deterrence and defence,” he added.
Finland is the 31th member of the defence alliance.
Finland and Sweden last year submitted bids to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine. Expansion of the military alliance must be unanimous and the Nordic nations’ bids were stalled after Turkey raised objections, accusing them of being havens for “terrorists,” and Hungary complained that both countries had unfairly criticised its government’s policy.
Hungary ratified the Nordic country’s NATO membership on March 27, and Turkey followed suit on Thursday.
A Kurdish politician in Finland told Rudaw on Friday that Ankara’s ratification of Helsinki’s bid to join NATO might prove to be a source of danger for Kurds living in Finland.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finland’s ascension to the defence alliance during a joint press conference with the Finnish President on Tuesday.
“Joining NATO is good for Finland, it is good for Nordic security, and it is good for NATO as a whole. Finland brings substantial and highly-capable forces, expertise on national resilience, and years of experience working side by side with NATO allies,” he said.
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