AMN / WEB DESK
Finland will officially join the NATO military alliance this week. With this NATO’s border with Russia will more than double, a key development amid the war in Ukraine.
All NATO member countries have ratified Finland’s membership. NATO membership will strengthen Finland’s security and improve stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said that Finland will become the 31st member of the world’s biggest military alliance on Tuesday, prompting a warning from Russia that it would bolster its defenses near their joint border if NATO deploys any troops in its new member.
“This is a historic week,” Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.” He said that he hopes Sweden will be able to join NATO in coming months.
“we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.”He esaid
Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same