Finland to become full member of NATO on Tuesday

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - Finland will become a full-fledged member of NATO on Tuesday and its flag will be raised at the alliance’s headquarters, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Stoltenberg said the bloc was looking forward to a “historic week” and stated that Finland will be a “full-fledged member of the alliance as of tomorrow.”

He further said that NATO would “raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at NATO headquarters” at an official ceremony.

NATO foreign ministers will first meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a reunion of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, Stoltenberg said.

After the war, NATO must “put in place arrangements so that Ukraine can deter future aggression and history does not repeat itself," he added.

NATO foreign ministers will also start preparations for the leaders’ summit in July in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“I expect allies to agree on ambitious new defense investment pledge with 2% of GDP for defense as a floor and not a ceiling,” Stoltenberg said.

He stressed NATO must address the challenges of “instability, terrorism and the growing influence of Iran, Russia, and China.”

On the second day, NATO foreign ministers will meet their counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zeeland.