Sunday afternoon, President Sauli Niinistö and the Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) announced that Finland is seeking to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Niinistö officially announced in Finnish, Swedish and English that Finland was entering a new era.
The Minister of Defense also spoke at the press conference Antti Kaikkonen (Cen) and the Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green).
In a joint statement last Thursday, Niinistö and Marin said that Finland must apply for NATO membership as a matter of urgency.
An application submitted within two or three days marks a dramatic change in Finnish security policy away from traditional military non-alignment.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, support for joining the union had long been lukewarm among the Finnish public and almost all political parties. During this spring, public support in Yle’s opinion polls rose by less than half to more than three-quarters.
Parliament will meet to discuss the matter on Monday. Following an open debate and approval by the legislature, the president and government are scheduled to begin the application process, possibly as early as Tuesday.
Be updated.
Source: The Nordic Page