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The President of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, and the Prime Minister of this country, Sanna Marin, unanimously demanded that Finland join NATO, “without delay.” The two leaders said in a joint statement that they await the decision in the coming days.
“Finland must apply immediately for NATO membership. The national steps that are still needed to come up with this decision will be taken quickly within the next few days. “NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security and its entry would strengthen the entire defense alliance.” said in the statement
This statement is the strongest signal so far that Finland will indeed seek membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, a historic move for the Nordic country that for decades has preferred to maintain a policy of neutrality.
The move by local leaders comes amid growing public support for Finland’s NATO membership spurred by the invasion of Ukraine. Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, now feels threatened. It has so far stayed out of NATO precisely to avoid the antagonism of its eastern neighbor.
Finland, which today has a strong and sophisticated army, has always been aware of living alongside a powerful and sometimes threatening neighbor. The stories of the war of 1939-1940, when the Soviet Union invaded and took over 10% of Finnish territory, are told generation after generation.
What Putin has been asking for years to avoid, NATO enlargement, analysts now say, is happening at his own urging.
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