Finland Joins NATO as Its Thirty-First Ally

By: Demi Conteh

On Tuesday, Finland was formally admitted as the organization's 31st member, causing a significant change in the security situation in northeastern Europe and extending NATO's border with Russia by about 1,300 kilometres (830 miles). A ceremonial ceremony held on Tuesday at the NATO headquarters in Brussels cemented the Nordic countries' entrance. The announcement of Finland's entry was made in the presence of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. "Today, Finland joined NATO, the world's leading military alliance. In our history, the time of military non-alignment is over. A new era has begun, according to a statement from the Finnish presidency. The raising of the Finnish flag at NATO headquarters later that day was a vivid illustration of the altering global dynamics as the West strengthened its allegiances in response to Russia's actions against its neighbour. With the assurance that Finland would join, NATO expanded its borders with Russia and gained access to a potent military with a long history of battling the Russians.

After months of delays, Finland's entrance to NATO comes just days after Turkey's parliament approved the country's membership, removing the last remaining obstacle. Following the invasion of Ukraine, public support for joining NATO increased in Finland and Sweden. Sanna Marin, the departing prime minister of Finland, remarked in April of last year that "everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine." "People's mindsets changed and shifted very dramatically in Finland and also in Sweden." NATO maintains a policy that allows any country that exhibits interest to join, as long as it can and is ready to uphold the alliance's core values. The procedures for accession, however, allow any member state to block a new nation from entering.

Since Finland is now a member of NATO, the country will have access to all of the alliance's resources in the case of an attack. This also includes the defence provided by Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which declares that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all members. The improved integration of Finnish soldiers into NATO training and planning is another benefit of membership. The nation has a long history of cooperation with NATO, and its armed forces frequently participate in NATO exercises as partners.

Image from NPR