Finland Must Urgently Apply for NATO Membership: Joint Statement by President and Prime Minister

Finland must apply for NATO membership as soon as possible. This was stated in a joint statement by President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin, which was released on Thursday by the Finnish Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.

“Finland must urgently apply for NATO membership,” the statement reads. Thus, the President and Prime Minister of Finland support the decision to submit an application for NATO membership.

Earlier, a majority of members of parliament in Finland had already expressed their support for joining NATO. Erkki Tuomioja, Vice President of the Finnish Parliament from the Social Democratic Party, noted that it is already clear that such a decision is supported by “an overwhelming majority of parliament members who wish to see Finland in the alliance as soon as possible.”

The ruling Social Democratic Workers' Party of Sweden had previously announced that a decision on the country's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance would be made on May 12, after which the party's administration must make a corresponding decision. If the decision is positive, an application for membership will be sent to NATO, as other parties have already supported such a move. Most parties in parliament have also expressed opposition to holding a nationwide referendum on this issue.