Finland confirms its bid for Nato membership

Finland yesterday confirmed its bid for Nato membership as a bulwark against Russia, redrawing the balance of power in Europe after decades of military non-alignment.

Sweden, which has been militarily non-aligned for more than two centuries, will follow suit with a similar announcement, as public support for membership grown amid security concerns.

Sweden's ruling Social Democrats said yesterday they backed the country joining Nato, abandoning decades of opposition and creating a large parliament majority in favour of membership.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said she will go to parliament today aiming to secure support for an application to join Nato.

The announcement came just hours after neighbouring Finland announced its official intention to apply for membership.

"Today, the President of the Republic and the Government's Foreign Policy Committee have jointly agreed that Finland will apply for Nato membership, after consulting parliament," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto told reporters at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sanna Marin yesterday.

"This is a historic day. A new era is opening", Niinisto said.

According to recent polls, the number of Finns who want to join the alliance has risen to over three-quarters, almost triple the level seen before the war in Ukraine.

In Sweden, support has also risen dramatically, to around 50 percent -- with about 20 percent against.

Despite last-minute objections by Turkey, Nato members are on "good track" in their discussions on welcoming Sweden and Finland into the Western military alliance, Croatia's Foreign Minister, Gordan Grlic Radman, said in Berlin.

Nato membership needs to be approved and ratified by all 30 members of the alliance.

The Atlantic bloc's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Turkey was not blocking membership bids by the two Nordic countries and voiced confidence at resolving Ankara's stated concerns.

Nato will look at providing security guarantees for Finland and Sweden during the interim period from their application for membership to accession, he said, adding that doors are open for both countries to join the alliance.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had spoken to his Turkish counterpart on Ankara's concerns and he was confident a consensus could be reached.

Finland's parliament will convene to debate the membership proposal today.

An overwhelming majority of Finnish MPs back the decision after premier Marin's Social Democratic Party on Saturday said it was in favour of joining.

Finland and Sweden broke their strict neutralities after the end of the Cold War by joining the EU and becoming partners to Nato in the 1990s, solidifying their affiliation with the West, reports AFP.

On Saturday, the Finnish head of state phoned his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin to inform him of his country's desire to join Nato, in a conversation described as "direct and straightforward".

But Putin responded by warning that joining Nato "would be a mistake since there is no threat to Finland's security", according to a Kremlin statement.

Niinisto said yesterday that while Helsinki expects Russia to respond to its decision, "little by little, I'm beginning to think that we're not going to face actual military operations."

"After the phone call with Putin, I think so even more."