Finland "Will Apply for NATO Membership"... Abandoning 74 Years of Military Neutrality (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The Finnish government announced on the 15th (local time) that it has decided to submit an application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

According to foreign media including the AP News, Finnish President Sauli Niinist? and Prime Minister Sanna Marin held a joint press conference at the Helsinki Presidential Palace on the same day and made the announcement. President Niinist? said, "Today, the President and the Government's Foreign Policy Committee, after consulting with the Parliament, jointly agreed that Finland will apply for NATO membership," adding, "This is a historic day and a new era is opening." The AP News reported that although this decision requires approval from the Finnish Parliament, the procedure is considered a formality.

The Finnish Parliament is scheduled to discuss this decision on the 16th, and it is known that the majority of the 200 members support Finland's NATO membership. Prime Minister Marin said, "The government and the President have cooperated excellently to reach this important decision today. We hope that the Parliament will approve the decision to apply for NATO membership within a few days." Once the parliamentary approval process is completed, Finland will officially submit its membership application to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, with the application expected to be submitted sometime next week.

Finland, a Nordic country sharing a 1,300 km border with Russia, has maintained military neutrality since 1948. Although a member of the European Union (EU), Finland considered its relationship with neighboring Russia. However, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, public opinion in Finland sharply shifted in favor of joining NATO.

Russia has strongly opposed Finland's move to join NATO. On the 12th, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that if Finland joins NATO, it would respond with "military and technical measures." On the 14th, President Niinist? called Russian President Vladimir Putin to explain Finland's NATO membership plan, and the Kremlin stated that during the call, Putin said, "Abandoning the traditional military neutrality policy (of Finland) would be a mistake."

However, unlike the majority of NATO member countries welcoming Finland's accession, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an expressed on the 13th that he is "not positive" about Finland joining NATO, which is considered a last-minute variable. According to NATO regulations, new member admission requires unanimous approval from existing members.