Finland would bring added value to NATO alliance, says top diplomat

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) – Speaking in the shadow of Moscow, Finland’s top diplomat on Thursday said its NATO membership "would bring added value" to the alliance, just after pressing to start procedures as soon as possible.

"Finland's NATO accession would strengthen the security and stability of the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe," Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

“We are convinced that Finland would bring added value to NATO. Our wartime strength of the defense forces is 280,000 troops, and the trained reserve is 900,000 men and women,” he added.

Saying that Russia's war on Ukraine has "altered the European and Finnish security environment," Haavisto added that his country is "not facing an immediate military threat" but maintains that “national approval to maneuver and freedom of choice remain integral parts of finance, foreign security, and defense policy" for Finland.

Citing the Finnish president and prime minister's joint announcement Thursday that the country will seek NATO membership "without delay," Haavisto said: "This means that we are now fast approaching the point of national decision-making."

Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border with Russia, and early in World War II it fiercely defended itself from a Soviet invasion.

The country maintained strict military neutrality during the Cold War but in 1995 struck a partnership agreement with NATO.

After Russia launched a war against neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, support for NATO membership in Finland and Sweden surged significantly.

If it joins, NATO would guarantee Finland’s collective security under Article 5, NATO’s nuclear umbrella, and common defense planning in Northern Europe.

Russia has repeatedly stated that Finland and its neighbor Sweden should not join NATO. Moscow has sought to justify its war on Ukraine by citing the possibility of the country joining NATO, even though the country’s membership process had just recently begun.​​​​​​​