Finland

'We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters,' says alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg.

State Department in Brussels on Tuesday” before the start of NATO foreign ministers’ session. The alliance “remains vigilant, we monitor very closely what Russia does,” he said. Her Social Democrats finished third, with the center-right National Coalition Party coming out on top. “This is an historic week,” the NATO chief told reporters. “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters,” Stoltenberg said, adding: “It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.” “Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO, making Finland safer and our alliance stronger.”

The country, which shares a border with Russia, applied to join the military alliance in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine last year.

"It is a historic moment for us. "We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. [Turkey](https://news.sky.com/topic/turkey-5859) was the last of NATO's 30 members to accept Finland's application - which ends the country's decades of military non-alignment. [Russia](https://news.sky.com/topic/russia-5803), applied to join the military alliance in the wake of [Vladimir Putin's](https://news.sky.com/topic/vladimir-putin-5972) invasion of [Ukraine](https://news.sky.com/topic/ukraine-6556) last year. "In the event that the forces and resources of other NATO members are deployed in Finland, we will take additional steps to reliably ensure Russia's military security." The country, which shares a border with Russia, applied to join the military alliance in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine last year.

HELSINKI — Finland's main conservative party claimed victory in a parliamentary election Sunday in an extremely tight three-way race in which right-wing ...

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will become the 31st member of the military alliance on Tuesday.

“In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russia’s military security.” NATO officials are also keen to bring Sweden within the fold before U.S. The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon, “we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. "We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.” [Turkey](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/TurkeySyriaEarthquake), the last country to have ratified Finland’s membership, will hand its official texts to U.S. “This is a historic week," Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

The move was prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and comes after Turkey lifted its veto.

"We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at Nato headquarters. Finnish public opinion has been radically altered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland will become the 31st member of Nato on Tuesday, the Western military alliance's secretary general has announced.

Finland's probable new conservative prime minister, Petteri Orpo, will this week start exploring coalition options after a narrow election win that shifted ...

The cost of living is also expected to be a key issue among voters in Spanish and Polish elections later this year. “It is clear that if a right-leaning coalition is achieved, there will be some very disappointed people among Finns party voters,” the paper said. Support for Ukraine in Finland - which shares a 1,300km (805-mile) border with Russia – is almost universal, and Orpo made a point on Sunday night of saying Helsinki would continue to stand by Kyiv during his tenure. “It’s not impossible, but the Social Democrats will have to eat humble pie.” “Both have red lines that will be tough to reconcile,” said Dr Emilia Palonen, a political scientist at the University of Helsinki. The Finns party, too, may think twice about joining a government coalition if it means abandoning some of its key election pledges. The biggest party traditionally gets the first chance to form a government, and since the 1990s has always claimed the prime minister’s office. The NCP backs selective, work-based immigration to help fill job vacancies and boost growth. Orpo, 53 and an MP since 2007, will later this week send a questionnaire to all party leaders asking for their positions on key policy issues before beginning talks with those seen as the most probable partners. It was a win,” Orpo told cheering supporters in Helsinki late on Sunday night, adding that the result gave the NCP “a strong mandate” to pursue its key policies of “fixing our economy, boosting growth, and creating new jobs”. He is thought likely to turn first to the Finns, whose leader, Riikka Purra, hailed her party’s “best election result ever”. However, the NCP increased its number of MPs by 10, while the Finns party, which back spending cuts but campaigned mainly against non-EU immigration, added seven more.

Finland will deposit its accession documents to the United States government at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, April 4th, ahead of the NATO foreign ...

Overall, Finland's accession to NATO is a significant development for the country and the region. As a member of NATO, Finland will have access to the alliance's defense capabilities, intelligence, and resources. However, the government has emphasized that Finland will remain an independent and non-aligned country, and that joining NATO is a natural step in ensuring its security and defense.

Finnish voters have given a boost to conservative parties in a weekend election, depriving the popular left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin of another term ...

Increasing spending on defense while facing pressure to cut welfare spending will be a balancing act for the new government, he said. Finnish media touted the The Finns, which ran on an anti-immigration and anti-EU agenda, as the biggest winner of the election. Marin's defeat is the latest setback for the left amid a larger shift to conservative and nationalist parties across Europe in recent times. Meanwhile Spain’s left-wing government is under pressure, with the right-wing Popular Party and far-right Vox party ahead as the country heads to a vote in December. But Sunday's election was largely fought over economic issues, with voters in the nation of 5.5 million people shifting their allegiances significantly to parties on the political right as they seek solutions to rising state debt, inflation and other economic problems. The right-wing populist party The Finns won 20.1% and Marin's Social Democrats 19.9%.

The National Coalition Party (NCP) secured 48 of 200 parliamentary seats versus 43 for the Social Democrats, with the anti-immigration Finns Party securing ...

As a high-profile Social Democrat, she earned widespread praise over the past four years for her handling of the pandemic and adept response to the Ukraine crisis, including Finland’s dramatic [pivot toward NATO](https://www.politico.eu/article/finland-join-nato-memeber-turkey-parliament-vote/). “Our message has got through, the support is there, and Finns believe in the National Coalition Party.” If Orpo turns to the Finns Party and its leader Riikka Purra, they are likely to face differences over immigration policy. For a potential tie-up with the Social Democrats, a compromise would have to be met between the two sides’ sharply different strategies on economic policy. Swedish Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson failed to secure a second term in elections last fall, while Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen only won reelection in November after a series of sharp-right policy turns. Orpo must now decide with whom to team up as the basis for a majority coalition — although all options entail a challenge.

Moscow threatens to bolster border defences if western military alliance deploys troops inside Finland.

“In case of deployment of forces of other Nato members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russia’s military security.” “We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.” It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for Nato as a whole.” “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.” He said he hoped Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same. “It is a historic moment for us.

Finland will officially become a member of the military alliance on Tuesday (4 April) as foreign ministers gather for their meeting in Brussels, ...

“We should not leave the impression Sweden is left alone”, the secretary-general said about it already participating in most of the Alliance’s meetings. “All allies agree that Sweden’s accession will have to be completed quickly”, Stoltenberg said. “They’ve trained and built a large army and maintained a high level of readiness”. “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters. Then, he will “notify Finland”. Finland and Sweden jointly applied for NATO membership in May 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Finland will become the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday (4 April 2023), immediately preceding a two-day meeting of Allied Foreign Ministers.

The centre-right National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory with all of the votes counted, coming out on top at 20.8 per cent followed by the right-wing ...

And the second very important issue is to build up NATO-Finland," Orpo said. a strong mandate for our policies”, adding that his party would be leading the coalition talks. The centre-right National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory with all of the votes counted, coming out on top at 20.8 per cent. Orpo has kept open his options for a coalition. We have good reason to be happy about this result.” “I am human.

Editorial: Defeat for the social democrats and a charismatic leader is a result that reverberates beyond the country's borders.

Following the [election](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63029909) of Giorgia Meloni as Italy’s prime minister, and events in Sweden, a “blue‑black” coalition in Finland would further normalise far‑right positions on issues such as climate targets and migration policy. [accession](https://news.sky.com/story/finland-to-officially-join-nato-on-tuesday-12849033) to Nato and fierce support for Ukraine – both policies influenced by a 805-mile eastern border with Russia – little will now change, whatever the makeup of the new government. Those who fear the general hardening of a “Fortress Europe” mentality and a growing pattern of evasion on climate goals must hope that he does. Having assumed leadership of a coalition in which all five parties were led by women, she was accomplished in her handling of the Covid pandemic and the crisis that followed Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. [Finnish election](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/02/sanna-marin-finland-election-sdp-social-democratic-national-coalition) turned out to be an unwelcome repeat episode of Nordic noir. Though Ms Marin’s Social Democratic party actually improved its vote share, it narrowly came in third behind moderate conservatives and the radical right in what was a photo-finish.

Mr Orpo said: “Based on this result, talks over forming a new government to Finland will be initiated under the leadership of the National Coalition Party.”.

The National Coalition Party could court the right-wing Finns Party, but this will likely lead to a disagreement over immigration. [Nato](https://www.standard.co.uk/topic/nato)-Finland, and we fix our economy. He served in various roles in the National Coalition before becoming deputy prime minister in 2017. It’s that we are an active member of the European Union. He has a master’s degree in political science and served in the Finnish army before entering politics, becoming an MP in 2007. There is also a threat of a recession.

Finland to become 31st member of world's biggest military alliance, prompting a warning from Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a ...

“In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russia’s military security.” Turkey has sought guarantees and assurances from the two countries, notably on tackling groups it considers “terrorist” organisations. The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon that “we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. “From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.” We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.” Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same.

Does an international post await Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin after her election loss? What explains the nationalist party's record score?

And are the nationalists reliable partners for a government coalition? They can sense what the emerging concerns are," Jutila said. A "blue-red" government with SDP and the National Coalition -- not uncommon in Finland -- would be easier for smaller parties to join. While SDP is a "tried and tested" partner, the Finns Party could be "unpredictable," Majander said, noting that its voter base could have a hard time accepting budget austerity. What explains the nationalist party's record score? While the Finns Party is closer to the centrer-right when it comes to economics — the most important election issue for Orpo — allying with the far-right would make it harder to find other parties to build a majority.

Finland swaps partying Sanna Marin for prudent Petteri Orpo as economic fears grow. TOPSHOT-FINLAND-POLITICS-VOTE. The ...

Orpo said he could rebuild unity in the party and take it back to power, and handily beat Stubb in a party vote. He set about rebuilding its standing as a traditional center-right economic alternative that was willing to cut public spending and limit tax increases. He is married with two children, and profiles of him [suggest](https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-1083665) his hobbies include cooking and fishing. If he is able to pull off a deal satisfying both the conservative and liberal wings of the NCP, that would be a solid early achievement, observers say. He played on deeply rooted (if mundane) Finnish fears about rising government debt and offered concrete (if workaday) solutions, such as cuts to public services. Marin, a popular personality on the left of EU politics, found herself in hot water last year after a video emerged of her

Finnish conservative leader Petteri Orpo has won a nail-biting three-way election race, defeating Prime Minister Sanna Marin's centre left.

He's been in the game since the 1990s and he's quite stable and calm. But [Sanna Marin] used to belong to her party's left wing and it's obvious she doesn't like the conservatives." [She came under heavy scrutiny last year](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62679034) when a video emerged of her singing, dancing and drinking at a party. There was a mood of euphoria in the camp, said Matti Koivisto, political correspondent with public broadcaster YLE. Then a projection from public broadcaster YLE gave Petteri Orpo's National Coalition victory with the biggest number of seats in parliament. She headed a coalition of five parties, all led by women.

The Finnish flag is due to be raised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, to mark Russia's western neighbour becoming the 31st member of the Western alliance.

Jens Stoltenberg said Nato had not yet seen any changes to Russia's nuclear posture that would require any change by the alliance. Some Belarusian fighter jets were also capable of carrying nuclear weapons, he said. They had previously both adopted a policy of non-alignment. "President Putin had a declared goal of the invasion of Nato to get less Nato along its borders and no more membership in Europe, he's getting exactly the opposite." Mr Stoltenberg said Nato would ensure Sweden would become the next member to join. The Finnish flag is due to be raised at Nato headquarters in Brussels, as Russia's western neighbour becomes the 31st member of the Western alliance.

The leader of the conservative National Coalition party (NCP), Petteri Orpo, is likely to be the next prime minister. And while it is possible that he will ...

“There are 10 parties in the Finnish parliament now; there are 13 in the Netherlands,” says Henley. At the same time, classic centre-left parties are seeing their vote share hold up above disastrous levels, “but that has to be put in the context of where they were a decade ago”, says Henley. “After the pandemic and the war, the economy has come back to the forefront,” says Henley. “But the crucial question about the direction of his government is who he goes into coalition with.” It’s about post-pandemic worry and the economy trumping everything else.” While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a huge issue in Finland – and the reason behind its new membership of Nato – it was not a point of disagreement in the election. “Whichever way Orpo turns, forming a government is going to be tricky,” says Henley. [increased its vote share and number of MPs](https://ablink.editorial.theguardian.com/ss/c/anB5BDNDuHMZ3XJHP1YCbtqgiIEaDNS-MUSN1b6S6GrnOk2ItE2kri4TPc3sVWAbpZw72wJlfWBWWWWQlK-7uE4vh2zLg6S0KHbzJCOq8SonVXHxbGRhF_vWxZelCbCeNVK99QdcXI-b9h0fQjHsIAH51OeNtZ3bDNG_mds1URKAzv17QOwS2sII_K5C5MEgfYFri9nmtdNXOa42LCbFuqI_kzhR-h9k9ug4DNObodzz9h2D4ZtLsVb4yxPUqGA6/3v2/Akj6wBtzRray9fKkkv0MIg/h44/-YlXsYqWWHdJozZj6Kc6AO846LI36xTz7EfJEBCBbVw). The 53-year-old has led the NCP since 2016, was deputy prime minister between 2017 and 2019, and has held several government ministries, winning praise for his handling of a tenfold increase in asylum seeker arrivals in 2015. “It made her fans more enthusiastic, and her enemies more critical,” says Jon Henley, the Guardian’s Europe correspondent. The leader of the conservative National Coalition party (NCP), Petteri Orpo, is likely to be the next prime minister. [in Finland this century](https://ablink.editorial.theguardian.com/ss/c/H-OBEvjgYS-9yWUKxZaRp2XzjHIRu3DBOiyxgtg_8W3jl9eWLGSNErpItzcp5qTvIhocIy998gav3xCPpWXl4YtiImEp9fXYsoZP3C4KCLQWAo7xtqGJpwX7GjKaym6T58CECZ1R82VaAyyVV0Z6nE8i8Jj1SQfFUl1HQ-0e07FX5PVCnWKXaTAoZ3djPRCQgdOUBjWq3WFY3DahT8XNVQ/3v2/Akj6wBtzRray9fKkkv0MIg/h41/YNpqh-r15gg1-izQKdAjF0X0sWrG-xlhV6hWeO9mOQc).

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is set to welcome Finland as its 31st member on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in ...

“At the same time we celebrate and enjoy that Finland is now a full-fledged member, we should continue work to finalize the Swedish accession process.” It’s been a cornerstone of the 30-member alliance since it was founded in 1949 as a counterweight to the Soviet Union. “People’s mindset in Finland, also in Sweden, changed and shifted very dramatically.” “Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine,” outgoing Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said last April. NATO has an open-door policy, meaning that any country can be invited to join if it expresses an interest, as long as it is able and willing to uphold the principles of the alliance’s founding treaty. An overwhelming majority of NATO members welcomed Finland and Sweden’s applications, but two countries – Turkey and Hungary – began to stall the process. Finland’s accession comes days after Turkey’s parliament voted to ratify the country’s membership, clearing the final hurdle for the country to join NATO and putting an end to months of delays. On the eve of Tuesday’s ceremony, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg heralded the raising of the Finnish flag for the first time at the alliance’s headquarters in Belgium, saying “it will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.” The Wilson Center report also noted Finland’s strong cyber security record, pointing out the country is home to Nokia, “a major provider of 5G infrastructure,” and one of three major providers of 5G infrastructure the world, along with Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei. Finland’s NATO membership guarantees the Northern European nation access to the resources of the entire alliance in the event of attack. [ warned ](https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/12/europe/putin-finland-sweden-nato-backfire-cmd-intl/index.html)that further NATO expansion will not bring more stability to Europe, and on Monday said it would scale up forces near Finland if the alliance sent any troops or equipment to the new member country. [Finland](https://cnn.com/2023/03/30/europe/turkey-vote-finland-nato-membership-intl/index.html) as its 31st [member ](https://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html)on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe that adds [some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles](https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/29/europe/nato-sweden-finland-summit-explainer-intl/index.html)) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and the US Secretary of State will join Nato ministers for a joining ceremony. Finland's accession is a setback for Russia's ...

Jens Stoltenberg said Nato had not yet seen any changes to Russia's nuclear posture that would require any change by the alliance. Some Belarusian fighter jets were also capable of carrying nuclear weapons, he said. Finland will get an iron-clad security guarantee. They had previously both adopted a policy of non-alignment. "President Putin had a declared goal of the invasion of Nato to get less Nato along its borders and no more membership in Europe, he's getting exactly the opposite." Finland has become the 31st member of the Nato security alliance, and its flag will soon be raised at the alliance's headquarters.

NATO Day is commemorated in capitals across the Alliance every year on 4 April, the anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding document, the Washington ...

In Brussels, the anniversary is being marked at several monuments throughout the city. In London, even Larry, the Cabinet Cat at 10 Downing Street, is celebrating by wearing a “We are NATO” collar. NATO Day 2023 is particularly historic, with Finland set to become the thirty-first member of the Alliance.

Finland will join the US-led military alliance on Tuesday, bringing it formally inside Nato's mutual defence pact and reshaping northern Europe's security ...

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It's been an eventful week for Finland. Sunday's election marked the end of the internationally recognised Sanna Marin premiership and the start of Petteri ...

Initially, the EU demanded the signing of a defence and security treaty before collaboration in this field but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine necessitated more flexibility and paved the way for closer cooperation. There are opportunities to take this further, such as in further UK buy-in to the E3 format (a diplomatic coalition of the UK, France and Germany) which continues as a forum for discussion between the three countries on foreign policy strategy and has been vocal on issues such as deterring Iran’s expansion of its nuclear program. Beyond the TCA review there is a need for a new partnership, underpinned by a political impetus and defence could be key. Our commitment to the Joint Expeditionary Force, followed by Boris Johnson’s visit to Finland and subsequent signing of the mutual security pact went a huge way in repairing some of the damage. Finland and the wider Nordics will be crucial allies in this effort. Sunday’s election marked the end of the internationally recognised Sanna Marin premiership and the start of Petteri Orpo’s attempts to replace her as prime minister by building a new coalition.

Finland is poised to join Nato in a historic realignment triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine but the head of the military alliance said no more troops ...

The Foreign Secretary is in Brussels today for a two-day meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers coinciding with Finland's historic accession to the Alliance.

BRUSSELS — Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, becoming its 31st member on the same day as NATO's 74th anniversary.

Finland shares a 1340km (832-mile) border with Russia, so its entry will more than double the size of NATO's border with the nation.

Rishi Sunak and James Cleverly said Sweden should also now be admitted to the defence alliance.