Helsinki: Finland has become a part of the NATO article 5 from Tuesday and now can participate in the alliance’s decision-making, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
Today Finland will become a full member of the alliance and that means that from today on Finland will participate in all NATO structures military and civilian activities and also be at the table in all NATO meetings and also have a vote.
Most importantly what happens from today is that Finland will be covered by NATO … security guarantees, our Article 5, that says that an attack on one ally will be regarded as an attack on all,” Stoltenberg said during a press conference.
Finland seeks to be active NATO member
Finland wants to be an active member of NATO, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said on Tuesday.
“What kind of role we will have in the future — that’s the next thing to discuss, but I am sure that Finland will be an active NATO member,” the minister said upon arrival at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, when asked whether Finland will allow NATO troops to deploy in the country.
On Tuesday, Finland officially became NATO’s 31st member.
Finland and Sweden applied to become NATO members in May 2022, three months after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Turkey and Hungary have delayed the ratification process, but softened their stance on Finland’s accession in March this year.
