Finland Officially Becomes the Latest NATO Member
- Newsweek
VIVA – Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday. This was stated by the secretary general of the Western military alliance. Finland's request to join this military alliance was triggered by the invasion of Russia, which borders Finland.
Despite a long process, including Turkey delaying the application, and complaining that Finland supports terrorist groups. However, today, the country managed to convince Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan that it would not support terrorist groups.
Besides Finland, Sweden also applied to join NATO in May, but Turkiye blocked it due to similar complaints.
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- nato.int
Turkish President Erdogan accused it of embracing Kurdish militants and allowing them to demonstrate on the streets of Stockholm. Any NATO expansion needs the support of all its members.
"We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finnish security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels.
"Sweden will also be safer as a result," he added.
Finland's membership is one of the most significant moments in NATO's recent history.
Finland, a country with a 1,340 km (832-mile) border with Russia and one of the most powerful artillery arsenals in Western Europe, decided to abandon its neutrality and join the alliance in response to Russia's massive invasion of Ukraine.
