Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finnish President Alexander Stubb to NATO headquarters on Wednesday April 10, just days after Finland celebrated the first anniversary of its accession to the Alliance. This entry into the transatlantic military alliance marked a turning point in Finland’s approach to foreign and security policy.
Meanwhile, the Finnish navy reported that the Finnish, French and Swedish navies will participate in joint anti-submarine threat countermeasure drills off the Swedish west coast.
One year ago, Finland abandoned its longstanding tradition of neutrality and became NATO’s member.
NATO membership emerged as the only viable solution despite the fact that Finland ended up building and maintaining one of the strongest military forces in Europe. The wartime strength of its defence forces is 280K.
NATO Allies signed Finland’s Accession Protocol on 5 July 2022, after which all 30 national parliaments voted to ratify the country’s membership.
During his speech the president of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb in Brussels on April 10 referred to the voices of concern that all these years the country was neutral, mentioning that “we did not have a choice because our foreign and security policy was defined by the reality of living next to an imperialistic and expansionist neighbour. And for the record, I don’t mean Sweden or Norway,”
The Secretary General praised Helsinki’s many contributions to NATO, saying “Finland takes security and defence seriously”.
“You have long made defence spending a priority and we are grateful for the fact that when Finland joined NATO, yet another NATO Ally is spending more than 2% on defence. You have highly trained personnel, and your advanced military capabilities bolster our deterrence and defence,” he said.
Stoltenberg also thanked Finland for its staunch support to Ukraine, amounting to some 2 billion euros in military aid since 2022, and welcomed Finland’s recent conclusion of a 10-year security agreement with Kyiv.
The Secretary General emphasised the urgency of continued military support to Ukraine amid a difficult battlefield situation.
“Delays in funding are having direct consequences on the ground every day,” he said. “Delays in delivery of air defences will allow Russian missiles to hit more targets, and delays in delivery of ammunition will allow Russia to press along the frontline. Ukraine simply cannot wait. It needs air defences, ammunition and aid – now.”
Stoltenberg underlined that “NATO is actively working to ensure reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine now and for the long haul”.
Last month the Finnish navy reported that the Finnish, French and Swedish navies will participate in joint anti-submarine threat countermeasure drills off the Swedish west coast.
The exercise, led by Sweden, was due to take place between 13 to 20 March 2024.
“In addition, two Finnish officers will be deployed on board Swedish corvettes for the duration of the exercise,” according to the release.
“International exercises enhance the personnel’s know-how and international interoperability,” the release added.
