NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has made a statement following the adoption of the law proposal on the approval of Finland's NATO accession protocol in the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Stating that he welcomes the vote to ratify Finland’s membership in NATO, Stoltenberg said “All 30 NATO allies have now ratified the accession protocol. I have just spoken with President Sauli Niinistö to congratulate him on this historic occasion. Finland will formally join our alliance in the coming days. Their membership will make Finland safer and NATO stronger. Finland has highly capable forces, advanced capabilities, and strong democratic institutions. So Finland will bring a lot to our alliance.”

“SWEDEN’S RATIFICATION WILL BE IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST”

Recalling that all allies made a ‘historic decision’ last year to invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, Stoltenberg said, “Since then, we have seen the fastest ratification process in NATO’s modern history. All allies agree that a rapid conclusion of the ratification process for Sweden will be in everyone’s interest. I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as a full member of the NATO family as soon as possible.”

PRESIDENT OF FINLAND: WE DISCUSSED THE NEXT STEPS FORWARD

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has said, “NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called. We discussed the next steps forward, now that all 30 allies have ratified Finland's NATO membership” on his social media account.

“FINLAND WILL BE A STRONG AND CAPABLE ALLY”

Niinistö also made a written statement right after the vote by the Turkish Grand National Assembly and said, “All 30 NATO members have now ratified Finland’s membership. I want to thank every one of them for their trust and support. Finland will be a strong and capable ally, committed to the security of the alliance. Finland is now ready to join NATO. We look forward to welcoming Sweden to join as soon as possible.”