Finland becomes NATO's 31st member as part of alliance's enlargement

By Selen Temizer

BRUSSELS (AA) - As part of NATO's open door policy and enlargement, Finland has become the 31st member of the alliance which marked its 74th anniversary.

Following a fast ratification process, the Finnish flag was raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels at a ceremony on Tuesday with the attendance of foreign ministers of the member states.

NATO's "open door policy" is based on Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, which states that membership is open to any "European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area."

The Nordic country's accession is also a sign that Türkiye supports NATO's open door policy, as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated on March 20.

After the Russia-Ukraine war began in February last year, Finland -- together with Sweden -- decided to abandon its decades-long military non-alignment policy and applied for NATO membership.

However, Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, asked the two Nordic countries to take concrete action against terror groups like the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in order for them to join the alliance.

In June, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum with Türkiye to address Ankara’s security concerns, and senior diplomats and officials from the three countries held various meetings to discuss the implementation of a trilateral agreement.

Türkiye said in early March that it would approve the process of Finland's NATO membership in parliament, adding that Finland had done what was necessary for the membership, while Sweden still has work to do.

On March 31, the Turkish parliament approved Finland's bid to join NATO, which showed Türkiye's support for NATO's open-door policy.

Finland officially joined NATO on Tuesday, with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto handing the signed accession treaty to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during an official ceremony in Brussels.

With Finland’s accession, the length of NATO’s border with Russia has nearly doubled.