On Tuesday Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in a ceremony held at the NATO headquarters, where it submitted the accession instrument to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The final step before Tuesday’s ceremony was held on Tuesday at the NATO headquarters, where Turkey was the last country to ratify Finland’s accession. US Secretary of State Blinken hailed what he has described as a „historic day” for NATO, saying Finland’s accession was precipitated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, Finland and Sweden asked to become members of NATO shortly after the Russian Federation launched its war of aggression in Ukraine. While Finland received the approval of all NATO members, Turkey decided to postpone Sweden’s accession. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence Sweden will shortly become a member of NATO. Finland’s accession coincides with the anniversary of 74 years since the signing of the Washington Treaty, the founding document of NATO, on April 4, 1949, a landmark celebrated in Brussels through a number of special events.
