The head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry signed a document on the accession of the republic to NATO

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signed a document on the republic’s accession to NATO. It is reported by the TV and radio company Yle.

Haavisto signed an agreement on Finland’s accession to NATO.

The ceremony was also attended by President Sauli Niinistö and Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen. Yle notes that before the meeting of the foreign ministers of the countries of the alliance, Haavisto will hand over to the US government a document on joining NATO. This will be followed by a flag-raising ceremony in honor of Finland’s membership in the North Atlantic bloc.

In addition, President of Finland and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will speak at the event. Before that, they will hold bilateral talks and a joint press conference.

Earlier today, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov declaredthat Finland’s accession to NATO leads to an aggravation of the situation in the world. Moscow considers the expansion of the alliance an encroachment on the security and national interests of Russia, he stressed. Peskov added that such steps are forcing Russia to take measures to ensure the country’s security.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership at the same time on May 18, 2022. Until recently, the two countries that did not ratify Finland’s application were Hungary and Turkey. Budapest did it on March 27, and Ankara on the night of March 31. The Finnish Parliament approved the law on the country’s accession to NATO on March 1. On the 23rd of the same month, the laws were signed by the president of the republic, completing the process of approving membership in the alliance within the republic.