Finland makes official decision to join Nato
15 May 2022 07:30pm
Prime Minister Sanne Marin (left) has dubbed the decision "historic" and assured that Finland, as one of the NATO member states, will also be responsible for the security of the alliance as a whole. Pic AFP
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HELSINKI - Finland's president and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy finalised a report on the country's accession to NATO on Sunday and agreed that the nation would apply to join the alliance, the Finnish government said in a statement.
"In the meeting, the President and the Ministerial Committee agreed that Finland would apply for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) after the Parliament has been heard,” Sputnik quoted the statement.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanne Marin held a joint press conference following the publication of the report, where they noted that the full strength of democracy was at work.
"The Parliament of Finland will receive application for NATO membership” Niinisto said.
The prime minister dubbed the decision "historic" and assured that Finland, as one of the NATO member states, will also be responsible for the security of the alliance as a whole.
The decision will be discussed in parliament on Monday, with the voting expected on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that the country would probably file a membership application to NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.
Finland and Sweden have been considering plans to join NATO since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on Feb 24.
In March, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would fast-track the membership applications of Finland and Sweden if they decide to join. - Bernama
