Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Sunday that his country would apply for membership of the NATO military alliance.
Sunday’s announcement comes after Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday they both favoured NATO membership, giving a green light for the country to apply.
The President told reporters in the presidential palace in Helsinki; “Today, we, the president and the government’s foreign policy committee, have together decided that Finland will apply for NATO membership.
“I, or Finland, are not known to sneak around and quietly disappear behind a corner. It is better to say it straight what already has been said, also to the concerned party and that is what I wanted to do.”
The Finnish president expressed readiness to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan after Turkey raised objections to the Nordic countries joining NATO.
Russia has said it would be a mistake for Finland to join the 30-strong transatlantic alliance and that it would harm bilateral ties.