According to the US Secretary of State, there is a consensus among NATO countries that Finland will be accepted as a member.
International reactions to Finland’s decision to apply for NATO membership have been positive.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock comments on the news, saying that Finland belongs to a large European family and adding that NATO ‘s doors are “clearly on its back” for Finland.
He said he already considered Finland and Sweden members of NATO, but “without a membership card”.
Germany also promised to process Finland’s application for NATO membership under an accelerated procedure.
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg in turn, spoke of Finland’s NATO decision at a historic moment.
According to him, Finland’s application to NATO shows that a foreign policy based on hostile actions is not working. By this Stoltenberg was referring to Russia.
Stoltenberg also said that NATO was currently exploring the possibility of offering military security guarantees to Finland and Sweden during the application process.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Finland’s NATO membership has unanimous support among NATO’s current member states.
According to Blinken, Finland’s membership would strengthen NATO’s eastern front.
According to the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland’s NATO membership is a turning point in Nordic security policy.
The Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre in turn, emphasized that Finland’s membership would increase stability in Northern Europe. He also reminded that the Nordic countries do not threaten anyone.
In addition to the Heads of State’s comments, Finland’s announcement of NATO membership became the number one news item in the world.
For example, it was among the most read news on the popular news sites BBC and CNN.