On May 15, 2022, at a joint meeting of the President of Finland and the Finnish Government's Foreign and Security Policy Committee, it was officially decided that Finland would apply for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The motivation of the Finnish government's decision to join NATO opens with the words: "After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fundamental changes have taken place in the security and operational environment of Finland and Europe."
CV9030 FIN Infantry fighting vehicle of the Finnish Armed Forces (c) Finnish Armed Forces
The decision was announced at a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, attended by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen were also present.
The decision means that the Finnish Parliament will consider the official application for NATO membership on May 16, the parliamentary vote will be held on May 17 and the application will be submitted to the NATO member states on May 18. Many NATO countries have already expressed support for Finland's membership and promised to take appropriate action in their parliaments as soon as possible.
"Today, the president and the government Committee on Foreign Policy and Defense decided to apply for membership in NATO. This is a historic day. A new era is opening," President Sauli Niinisto said at a press conference. According to him, Finland was pushed to this decision by the events in Ukraine. He stressed that "Finland's membership application is not directed against anyone."
"Security is not a zero-sum game. When the security of Finland is maximum, it does not depend on anyone, the overall security increases," the President of Finland said.
It is also reported that the Swedish government will submit a request to parliament for approval of Sweden's application for NATO membership on May 16. Sweden intends to coordinate its NATO accession process with the Finnish process.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin announce their decision to submit Finland's application for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Helsinki, 05/15/2022 (c) Government of Finland
