Finland’s great strength as a NATO member is Nat´l unity: President

President Alexander Stubb on Thursday said that Finland’s great strength as a member of the military alliance NATO is national unity.

In a statement marking the first anniversary of Finland´s membership and the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), he also said that integration into NATO is a long process.

“Finland’s great strength as a member of the alliance is national unity. Nine out of ten Finns support the membership. We will continue to operate in a manner to ensure that the alliance will develop in a way that enhances the security of Finland and its allies,” said the President.

He said that Finland shoulders its responsibility for security both in neighbouring areas and, if necessary, further away.

“Integration into NATO is a long process. It means deploying staff to NATO structures and participation in NATO tasks. It means defining policies on key defence issues, ranging from nuclear deterrence to comprehensive defence,” said Stubb, adding that Finland has already made good progress on this path.

He said that Finland was currently building its own profile in the alliance.

“We will show our allies that we are a reliable, responsible and loyal member state that produces security. We may be located on the outskirts of Europe, but we operate at the institutional heart of the organization,” Stubb said.

He said that Finland is not a small actor in the alliance. Finland is a medium-sized member state.

“In Finland, the change that our joining the military alliance brought about was minor on the one hand, and revolutionary on the other hand,” said the President.

He said that Finland had already developed its interoperability with NATO countries and intensified its defence cooperation with the key partner countries.

“At the same time, the change is significant. When Finland is integrated into NATO, its structures and processes, we are adopting a new way of thinking. We will make a transition from national defence to collective defence, both militarily and mentally. This is new for us Finns, even though our experiences of defence cooperation and the EU have provided foundations for this,” Stubb added.

Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023.