“This will make NATO stronger”: Stoltenberg announced the dates when Finland becomes a member of the Alliance

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Finland will officially become a member of the bloc in the near future. All states that are members of the North Atlantic Alliance have already completed the procedure for ratifying the country’s membership.

Türkiye approved Finland’s latest application the day before. Stoltenberg said this in an address on March 31, which was published by NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu in Twitter (to watch the video, scroll to the end of the page).

The Secretary General noted that he had already held a conversation with Finnish President Sauli Niinostio and congratulated the politician on a historic event for his country. He added that he looks forward to congratulating Sweden as a full member of the NATO family as well.

Stoltenberg stressed that Finland’s membership would make the Alliance stronger and the state itself more secure. This country, he said, has a very capable military, enhanced capabilities and strong democratic institutions.

Recall that on March 30, the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey ratified the protocol of Finland’s accession to NATO. Helsinki will receive the “final seal” from Ankara after a signature from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Before that, Hungary also approved the application of the state. “For” ratification voted 96% of parliamentarians participating in the vote.

As GLOBAL HAPPENINGS reported, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. However, Turkey put forward its own requirements for approval, they concerned the fight against movements recognized by Ankara as terrorist.

At the end of February 2023, Stoltenberg announced that the countries had fulfilled all the conditions of Turkey.