Finland will apply for NATO membership; Sweden’s ruling party also decides to move to the alliance
Helsinki, May 15, LETA – DPA / AFP. Finland wants to become a member of NATO and will ask to join NATO, Finnish President Sauli Niniste and Prime Minister Sanna Marina said on Sunday.
The Finnish parliament has yet to approve the move, but a majority is expected to support joining the alliance. A debate on the country’s accession to NATO is scheduled for Monday.
Finland’s ruling Social Democratic Party already on Saturday expressed support for the country’s membership in NATO.
“Today, after consulting the parliament, the President of the Republic and the Government’s Foreign Policy Committee have jointly decided that Finland will apply for NATO membership. This is a historic day. A new era is beginning,” Niniste said.
“In cooperation with the government and the president of the republic, we have made an important decision today. We hope that the parliament will confirm the decision to apply for NATO membership in the coming days,” Marina said.
Finland, which has a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, has not joined military alliances for 75 years. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has dramatically changed the situation and Finland’s public support for NATO membership has risen sharply. A similar mood prevails in Sweden, which is expected to announce its intention to join NATO very soon.
Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SAP) has also decided on Sunday to support the country’s accession to NATO.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the SAP opposed the country’s accession to NATO, explaining that the army was thus free from commitments to foreign alliances.
A formal change of position is a giant step for both the party and the state.
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