(Helsinki) The Finnish Parliament voted Tuesday in favor of joining NATO with an overwhelming majority of more than 95%, allowing the sending of the official candidacy of the Nordic country to the headquarters of the alliance.
Posted at 8:45 a.m.
Updated at 9:16 a.m.
At the end of a two-day parliamentary session, the accession project was adopted by 188 votes for, eight against and no abstentions, according to the result of the ballot.
The candidatures of Finland and Sweden, a direct consequence of the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow, were formalized respectively on Sunday and Monday.
An overwhelming majority was expected in the Finnish Parliament, but the final score still goes beyond the latest projections.
“It’s an exceptional result, I didn’t expect it to be so clear. The vote is clear, no more discussion, this (Tuesday) evening we will sign our NATO candidacy letter,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on television after the vote.
After this parliamentary green light, Helsinki can send its candidacy to NATO headquarters in Brussels, simultaneously with Sweden.
This will “probably” take place on Wednesday, according to Mr. Haavisto.
Stockholm, where Parliament was consulted on Monday, is also ready: Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed the Swedish application form on Tuesday morning, during a ceremony.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson are due to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday, the White House announced.
After a spectacular leap in favor of membership in public opinion, Sweden and Finland deemed it necessary to place themselves under the NATO umbrella in the face of a Russia capable of militarily invading one of its neighbours.
The two countries would thus turn the page on decades of neutrality and then of military non-alignment.
Membership, which requires the unanimity of the 30 current members of NATO, has however faced an unexpected obstacle since the end of last week, with the opposition displayed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey accuses them – and especially Stockholm – of showing too much leniency vis-à-vis the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, although it is on the EU list of terrorist organisations.
Biden will receive Swedish Prime Minister and Finnish President on Thursday
US President Joe Biden will receive Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö at the White House on Thursday, his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre announced in a statement on Tuesday.
They “will discuss the candidacies of Finland and Sweden to NATO, and European security”, as well as “support for Ukraine” attacked by Russia, she said.
The announcement from the White House comes as the Finnish Parliament has just voted Tuesday in favor of NATO membership with an overwhelming majority of more than 95%, allowing the sending of the official candidacy of the Nordic country.
Sweden had officially announced its candidacy on Monday, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, evoking on this occasion a new “era” for the Scandinavian country.
By taking the time to receive the two leaders, before leaving for a long-planned diplomatic tour in Asia, Joe Biden strongly marks his support for the accession of the two countries to the Atlantic alliance.