Finland is to become NATO’s 31st member on Tuesday

It’s only a matter of hours. Finland is to become the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday April 4, its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced on Monday. The flag of the Northern European country will then be hoisted at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels.

“It is truly a historic day”, rejoiced Jens Stoltenberg. This is the membership process “the fastest” of the recent history ofNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The integration of Sweden, “a priority”

Asked about the fate of Sweden, for which Turkey has not yet given the green light, the NATO chief said to himself “absolutely confident“. “It is, for NATO, for me, a priority to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible”he said during a press briefing.

Sweden and Finland are already integrated into NATO with the status of guest countries. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Stockholm and Helsinki decided to turn the page on their policy of military non-alignment in force since the 1990s, itself inherited from decades of forced or chosen neutrality. Both governments applied for NATO membership in May 2022.

In response, Russia announced its intention to strengthen its military capabilities near Finland, a country with which it shares a border. “In the event of the deployment of forces and assets of other NATO members on Finnish territory, we will take additional measures to reliably ensure the military security of Russia”added Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, quoted by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti.