Finland Officially Joins NATO, Becomes 31st Member State

Finland has officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), becoming its 31st member.

A statement issued by President Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 disclosed that the Finish era of military non-alignment has come to an end.

He stated that membership of the military alliance will provide security for Finland and also strengthen its international position.

President Niinisto also stated that Finland applied to join NATO together with Sweden.

Finland’s acceptance into the US-led security alliance is a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had, before invading Ukraine, demanded the bloc refrain from further expansion.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war propelled Finland and Sweden to move from their neutral stance to seeking protection within NATO although Sweden’s access is being delayed by Turkey and Hungary.

The Finnish president in his statement noted that Finland’s membership is not complete without that of Sweden.

“The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue. Similarly, close cooperation continues to build common security and defence across the Nordic region,” he said.

NATO, which is also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 31 member-states – 29 European and two North American countries.

Established in the aftermath of World War II, the organisation implemented the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949.

NATO is a collective security system: its independent member-states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. During the Cold War, NATO operated as a check on the perceived threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.

The organisation’s motto is animus in consulendo liber (Latin for “a mind unfettered in deliberation”).

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