Finland is still waiting to join NATO, because Turkey and Hungary, members of the defense alliance, have not yet accepted Finland’s membership application.
Hungary has said that it will accept Finland’s membership in February next year.
So far, there is no information about Turkey’s decision-making.
Read here what kind of greetings the young people of NATO countries send on Finland’s Independence Day.
Hanna-Stiina Tornius, 23, student of international politics, Tallinn
Finland’s accession to NATO makes everyone in Estonia happy. We have been waiting for it for a long time. It increases our and Finland’s security. So welcome to NATO!
I am especially interested in US foreign policy. So it seemed natural to do an internship at the Estonian NATO association.
It is unfortunate that a few countries are using the membership process of Finland and Sweden for selfish purposes. Hopefully, however, they understand how important Finland’s and Sweden’s membership is for NATO as a whole, and ratify the memberships.
The membership of Finland and Sweden is particularly significant from the point of view of Estonia, because they are two of our neighbors. I know that both have been in partnership with NATO until now. Now the activity will be even more intensive.
In Estonia, we are excited that this time we can perhaps help Finland based on our NATO experience.
Finns need not worry, Estonia’s defense is not Finland’s task. We have always taken our security very seriously and invested in it for a long time. That is why we are also in NATO.
Happy Independence Day Finland!
Michele Gallina, 23, university student, Rome
I am studying at Luiss University in the master’s program related to European security. We have discussed Finland’s NATO intentions in lectures.
Finland and Russia are so close to each other that the situation is understandably scary from the Finns’ point of view. Still, I don’t think there is an immediate threat to Finland.
When Finland and Sweden join the defense alliance NATO, people in these countries can feel safer.
Being part of NATO gives the kind of help that would be seen in practice only if one of the member countries was attacked. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. NATO is like a working hospital. You hope you don’t have to go there, but the thought of its existence calms you down.
The war in Europe is a common issue for all Europeans. But from an emotional point of view, considering the geographical factors, it certainly arouses less concern in us Italians than in Finns.
Finland’s NATO membership would benefit the entire defense alliance. I hope and believe that Finland will soon become a member.
Nils Larsen, 19, high school student, Copenhagen
I will graduate next summer. After that, I will start nine months of civilian service in a rescue operation under the Danish Defense Forces.
I read the news and discuss it with my friends. NATO cooperation is an important and interesting matter.
Before this year, I thought that Sweden is the only Nordic country that is not a member of NATO. I thought that Finland is already a NATO country because it is located next to Russia. But I heard that Finland has previously been under pressure to remain a non-aligned country, because Russia has previously attacked Finland.
I am happy that Finland and Sweden have applied for NATO membership. There are differences between the defense forces of different countries. But I think it is very important that we have NATO. It brings security against the threat of countries like Russia, China and North Korea.
I want to tell Finland to join NATO as soon as possible – for security’s sake. I hope that there will be good defense cooperation between the countries.
Charlotte Becker, 20, journalism and philosophy student, Washington DC
When the war in Ukraine started, I remember how my father and mother discussed how Finland would possibly apply for NATO membership.
I got interested and started reading about the situation in Finland. Membership seemed like a reasonable option in terms of Finland’s security, especially when the country has such a long border with Russia.
Russia looks more threatening every day. I want Finns to be safe.
In my opinion, Finland has a lot to give to NATO. As an American, I admire Finland’s ability to stay out of conflicts. We, on the other hand, have been involved in many conflicts that it would have been better to stay away from.
It is really unfortunate that the acceptance of membership has taken so long. I don’t think the US has done enough to speed up the process.
I think that Turkey is afraid of Russia’s revenge if it accepts Finland.
However, I wouldn’t worry about the situation. Things will work out, and the United States and other NATO countries will not leave Finland in the lurch.
For Finns who oppose NATO, I would say that membership is the best solution in this situation. I urge the opponents to make their criticism public, because within the coalition it is possible to promote new, peaceful values that are important to Finns.
What do you think about the thoughts of young people in NATO countries? You can discuss the topic until Monday 5 December. until 11 p.m.
Interviews in Denmark did Karolina Kantolain Estonia Rain Schoolin Italy Jenna Vehviläinen and in the United States Yuri von Bonsdorff.