The President of Finland welcomednew eraFor a country bordering Russia to join NATO. “The era of military non-alignment in our history is coming to an end. A new era beginsHead of state Sauli Niinistö said before the symbolic raising of the Finnish flag in front of the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
US President Joe Biden, in his turn, said to himself:proudaccept Finland. “Today we are more united than ever“, he said in the statement. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky also presented his “Hearty congratulationsIn Finland, according to him, “the only effective guarantee of the region’s security“forward”Russian aggression“. The latter also aims to integrate into the Atlantic Alliance.
After three decades of military non-unification, Finland officially became NATO’s 31st member on Tuesday, handing over its membership documents to US foreign policy chief Antony Blinken, whose country is the depositary of the founding treaty, a strategic turning point that marks it. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We announce Finland as the 31st member of the Alliance by receiving these documents.” Antony Blinken announced at the ceremony held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The head of American diplomacy also welcomed “historic dayfor NATOhastilyaccording to him, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I’m tempted to say that’s probably the only thing we can thank (Russian President Vladimir) Putin for, because once again he caused something that he said he wanted to avoid by attacking;Ukraine, he said. Membership is celebrated on the anniversary of the founding of the Alliance, April 4, 1949.
“This is certainly a great day for Finland (…) It is also a good thing for NATO“, in turn, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikonen emphasized.
After the membership documents were handed over to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the custodian of the organization’s founding treaty, the Finnish flag was raised in the main courtyard of the organization’s headquarters in Brussels at 15:30 local time between the flags of Estonia. and France, in alphabetical order. “Finland is now safeNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said upon his arrival. “NATO allies together represent 50% of the world’s military power. So as long as we stand together and protect each other and do so credibly, there will be no military attack on a NATO ally.“, he explained.
Collective defense obligation
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine undermined security in Europe and reshuffled the playing field, prompting Finland and Sweden to join under NATO’s protective umbrella. By joining NATO, Finland, which invaded the Soviet Union in 1939, is doubling the length of its border with the US-led alliance’s Russia. He receives the protection of Article 5, the collective defense obligation, according to which an attack on a member.will be considered an attack on all members“.
Objections by Turkey and Hungary have delayed Helsinki’s membership for months and are still blocking Stockholm’s membership. “I am absolutely sure that Sweden will also become a member. For NATO, it is a priority for me to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible.Jens Stoltenberg assured. “Sweden is ready to join NATO“, the head of American diplomacy, Anthony Blinken, confirmed in his turn.
The goal is to receive the documents of Turkey and Hungary before the NATO summit organized in Vilnius in July. In alphabetical order, the colors of Sweden will then be promoted between those of Spain and Turkey.
“NATO’s door remains open.”
The joining of these two Nordic countries proves that “NATO’s door remains open– said Jens Stoltenberg, the general secretary of the alliance. “NATO’s position remains unchanged: Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance“, he continued. However, he immediately added.the main goal for now is its survival as a sovereign and independent country, otherwise talking about membership is pointless.“.
NATO foreign ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba and discuss “long term supportIn Kiev. For this purpose, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission was organized, despite the objections of Hungary.
The Kremlin promises “countermeasures”.
For its part, the Kremlin promised on Tuesday to take “countermeasuresAfter Philande joined NATO, describing the expansion of this Western alliance as “security breachFrom Russia.
“This is a further aggravation of the situation. NATO expansion is an attack on our security and our national interestsDmitr Peskov, press spokesman of the Russian President, informed the journalists about it. “This forces us to take countermeasures“, “We will carefully follow what is happening in Finland, (…), how it threatens us. Appropriate measures will be taken. Our army will report on time.“, he added.
Russian diplomacy clarified that “countermeasuresThe deployment or non-deployment of NATO weapons on the territory of Finland, and their type, will depend on Moscow.
Paris calls on Moscow “not to tell history”.
French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu called on Russia on Tuesdaynot tell storiesand made sure that Finland’s entry into NATO was not synonymous with an escalation of war amid the Ukrainian conflict.
“No reversal of history, even if Russian diplomacy tries to lead us to this land. Being part of NATO is not escalating, we don’t have to tell stories“, he said during the report of the Council of Ministers at the Elysée. “It is the Russian aggression in Ukraine that raises the need for security on the part of most of the continental European partners.“, he continued. “NATO is a security alliance. It is enough that Russia does not attack anyone, so that there is no war“, he emphasized.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.