NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Finland will join NATO from Tuesday, April 4. He will be its 31st member. “On Tuesday, the flag of Finland will be hoisted in front of the headquarters for the first time,” added the head of the Alliance.
“Finland will join the North Atlantic Alliance on Tuesday,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels . On that day, a meeting of Allied foreign ministers will be held at headquarters.
Stoltenberg stressed that from April 4 Finland will participate in all meetings, Iltalehti reported. This will happen on Tuesday as all countries have ratified Finland’s membership protocol. Coincidentally, Finland’s membership comes into effect on NATO’s birthday.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will travel to Brussels to attend his country’s NATO accession ceremony, the Finnish leader’s official website reads.
“We don’t know when the war in Ukraine will end,” continued Jens Stoltenberg. “I support President Zelensky’s peace plan, but Putin is not preparing for peace,” added the NATO chief.
Secretary General Stoltenberg stressed that the Alliance’s assistance to Ukraine is planned for a long period. – I expect work on a long-term support program for Ukraine to start – he revealed.
According to NATO chief Stoltenberg, accession to NATO will make Finland safer. “But Sweden will also be safer,” he stressed. Recall that last Thursday the Parliament of Turkey ratified Finland’s application to join NATO . It was the last Alliance country to agree to admit Finland to the Alliance. Türkiye, like Hungary, has still not ratified Sweden’s application.
During his speech, the NATO chief also called for the immediate release of the journalist Evan Gershkovich detained in Russia .