There are no longer obstacles to Finland’s NATO membership, as the Turkish parliament has finally confirmed Finland’s NATO membership.
Hungary already ratified it on Monday.
Next, the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan approves the law, and Finland’s application process, which started in May 2022, will be completed after many stages.
What will happen now, what will Finland commit to, and what will it get?
In this story, we tell you the answers to ten questions related to NATO.
1. What happens next?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg invites Finland to join NATO, officially the North Atlantic Treaty.
Finland’s representative travels to Washington to deposit the application papers with the US State Department. It is not yet known when this will happen and who will act as Finland’s representative.
Immediately after this, Finland will become a full member of NATO.
The president of the Republic Sauli Niinistö has estimated that Finland will join NATO in May.
2. Why did the Turkish parliament accept Finland’s NATO membership, but did not even process Sweden’s application?
According to Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar, Finland has met Turkey’s expectations better than Sweden since the beginning.
In Turkey, the parliament’s vote on Finland’s NATO membership was considered a formality, as the foreign affairs committee unanimously approved Finland’s membership earlier.
Finland’s actions have been highlighted, among other things, by the police’s intervention in demonstrations where symbols of groups classified as terrorist organizations by Turkey would have been displayed, as well as the removal of restrictions on the export of defense equipment.
3. Have the measures required for membership been taken care of in Finland?
The President of the Republic, Sauli Niinistö, confirmed the laws regarding Finland’s NATO membership during the president’s presentation at the State Council Castle on March 23.
Niinistö wanted Finland to be ready to join NATO as soon as the ratification from Turkey has been received.
4. What does Finland commit to with NATO membership?
Finland promises to defend other NATO countries if they come under attack.
North Atlantic Treaty (you switch to another service) The fifth article binds the NATO countries to help the member state under attack, if necessary, even armed.
Member states decide themselves how extensively they participate in operations. However, NATO’s operation is based on giving help when it is needed.
NATO also has plans that guide joint defense in different countries. Especially in the frontline countries, which includes Finland, common defense is very important.
5. What does Finland get with NATO membership?
Finland receives the same security guarantees mentioned above, which it itself commits to by joining the North Atlantic Treaty.
6. What matters does Finland decide for itself?
Finland can participate in peacetime tasks at its own discretion.
Finland decides on its own participation in crisis management operations, military exercises and other peacetime tasks.
In practice, however, it is expected that those NATO countries that have the ability will participate in peacetime missions. This strengthens the joint defense capability.
NATO monitors the airspace in the areas of member countries that are unable to do so themselves, such as the Baltic countries and the Western Balkans.
In addition, a NATO combat unit with a strength of approximately one thousand soldiers is stationed in all the Baltic countries and Poland. They are “deterrent forces” that are in constant combat readiness. Their most important task is to prevent a possible attack by the opponent on the frontline countries.
NATO also has rapid response forces with a total strength of approximately 40,000 personnel.
There are four permanent, multinational naval divisions in the sea areas, whose ships are on immediate alert.
As a partner country, Finland has already taken part in NATO military exercises, rapid reaction force standbys and crisis management operations.
7. What kind of role can Finland play in NATO in practice?
Many things will become clear only after Finland has become a member state.
Many issues related to NATO’s defense are currently in transition and being reformed in the alliance, which is why it is not possible to make precise assessments at this stage.
Finland’s contribution to NATO’s common defense will be determined gradually after membership begins, when Finland fully participates in NATO’s various activities and receives additional information from various entities.
8. How will NATO plan Finland’s defense in the future?
Finland’s alternatives in NATO are the Norfolk and Brunssum headquarters. The staff is important in terms of how Finland’s defense will shape up in the future.
After joining NATO, Finland decides together with the NATO leadership which staff Finland will join.
There are two senior management staffs in NATO. One is located in Brunssum in the Netherlands and the other in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. The decision on the staff affects where and how plans are made for the defense of Finland.
The leading researcher of the Foreign Policy Institute Charly Salonius-Pasterna too estimates have been made that Finland and Sweden should join Norfolk, which also includes Norway. Norway’s role is to ensure the security of the North Atlantic. Transporting troops and supplies across the sea from the United States is also important for Finland.
Commander of the Norwegian Navy Rune Andersen has estimated that the joining of Finland and Sweden to NATO would significantly strengthen the defense of the Arctic region, but Finland is also a strong defender in the Baltic Sea.
However, according to Salonius-Pasternak, Poland and the Baltics, which are also part of Brunssum’s staff, might hope that Finland joins their camp.
9. Does Finland have to take over a NATO base or nuclear weapons?
NATO member countries can decide for themselves what kind of military activities, bases or equipment they take on their soil.
Some member states, such as Norway and Denmark, have themselves imposed national restrictions and do not allow permanent alliance forces, bases or nuclear weapons on their territory during peacetime.
Finland has not set such restrictions in its accession negotiations.
Researcher at the Institute of Foreign Policy, Major General evp. Pekka Toveri does not believe that there will be an actual NATO base in Finland, because the permanent deployment of NATO troops is very expensive. In addition, the appreciation of Finland’s own defense capability is one of the highest in Europe.
There is no NATO base in the Baltic countries, even though their own defense capability is weaker than Finland’s, Toveri estimates.
10. Will Sweden become a member of NATO?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is pretty sure that Sweden will also become a NATO member before long.
Stoltenberg has said that he is working for Sweden. At the same time, he has reminded that nothing can be promised on behalf of other member countries, such as Hungary and Turkey.
According to Stoltenberg, the most important thing was not that Finland and Sweden join NATO at the same time, but that both countries join as quickly as possible.
The head of justice at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been interviewed for the case Kaija Suvantoa and head of the Ministry of Defense’s temporary NATO office Karoliina from Honka.
You can discuss the topic on 1.4. until 11 p.m.