FINLAND JOINS NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the addition of the new member and said that the way has been paved for Sweden to join as well.

The Finnish flag joins 30 others at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday. This was announced by the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference on Monday.

"It is a historic week. We will welcome Finland as NATO as the 31st member, making Finland more secure and our alliance stronger," Stoltenberg added. "It will be a good day for Finnish security, Nordic security and NATO as a whole."

The Norwegian did not forget Sweden, whose addition to the alliance is still blocked by Turkey and Hungary. "Sweden will also become more secure as a result," Stoltenberg said, adding that all allies agreed that Sweden should also join as soon as possible.

Both Sweden and Finland were invited by NATO to join the alliance. Both had asked to enter in May last year after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One of Finland's first actions as a member will be to press for the addition of its western neighbor:

Once Finland has become a member of NATO, Minister Haavisto will deposit Finland's instrument of accession for Sweden's membership in NATO.

Representatives from Finland will attend their first meeting as members to discuss support for Ukraine in the war.