Finland's President: End Of Our Military Non-Alignment Era
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, April 4 (KUNA) - Finland Tuesday formally joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday afternoon ending its long era of military non-alignment.
"The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins" Sauli Niinisto, president of Finland, declared shortly after his country officially became the 31st member of the alliance.
"Each country maximizes its own security. So does Finland. At the same time, NATO membership strengthens our international position and room for maneuver," he said.
"Finland applied to join NATO together with Sweden. Finland's membership is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue," he stressed.
Earlier, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signed the accession document and handed it to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Blinken called Finland's accession to NATO a "historic day".
On his part, Stoltenberg said, "I am deeply proud to welcome Finland as a full-fledged member of our Alliance."
Later, Finland's flag was hosted at a ceremony at the NATO headquarters. (end)
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