Finland becomes 31st member of NATO

On Tuesday, Finland completed its historic strategic shift by depositing its accession documents to NATO, becoming the 31st member of the alliance. “With receipt of this instrument of accession, we can now declare that Finland is the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty,” declared U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is the official keeper of the treaty. Finnish President Saul Niinisto highlighted that Finland’s main contribution to NATO’s common deterrence and defense would be to protect its own territory, and emphasized that significant work is still required to coordinate this with NATO. “It is a great day for Finland and an important day for NATO,” Niinisto stated during a news conference. Finland, along with Sweden, submitted its official letter of application on May 18, 2022. However, Sweden’s application has not yet been ratified by Turkey and Hungary.

Sources : CGTN