of the year. let s cross live to brussels. finline has become the 31st member of nato and nato secretary general jens stoltenberg is holding a press conference. let sjoin it. at jens stoltenberg is holding a press conference. let s join it. conference. let s oin it. at times like this friends conference. let s join it. at times like this friends and conference. let s join it. at times like this friends and allies - conference. let s join it. at times like this friends and allies are - like this friends and allies are more important than ever and a fenland now has the strongest friends and allies in the world. president putin wanted to slam nato s today we show the world that he failed. that aggression and intimidation do not work. instead of less nato, he has achieved the opposite, more nato. and our door remains firmly open. thank you for your outstanding leadership and commitment, president, and for leading finland into the most successful alliance in history. so welc
has a scientific on the 31st official member of nato. thank you, es, in official member of nato. thank you, yes. in many official member of nato. thank you, yes. in many ways. official member of nato. thank you, yes, in many ways, this official member of nato. thank you, yes, in many ways, this was - yes, in many ways, this was expected, as has been mentioned in the press conference. this process has been going on for quite a while. finland has had close relations with nato since mid 19 905. it was especially interesting here in the president talked about how this issue of nato membership was released from about 2020, 2021, and they have gone through some stages of reviewing the possibility of what nato membership would look like for a country that was, not to forget that when we talk about neutrality, finnish neutrality ended when finland joined the eu, and it s a treaty with russia came to some conclusion at that point. the interesting aspect here as well is thinking about this
eec, the council of europe, the oecd, and finally the eu in 1995 so it is an important day for us. do ou feel it is an important day for us. do you feel any sense of relief from this? . . , you feel any sense of relief from this? ~ . , , you feel any sense of relief from this? always in this profession when a diplomatic this? always in this profession when a diplomatic process this? always in this profession when a diplomatic process reaches - this? always in this profession when a diplomatic process reaches its - a diplomatic process reaches its conclusion it is extremely satisfying to see that happening. and also from the point of view of security, we see that the nato membership increases are security. it is a relief in that sense. we see nato as adding to the strong national defence that we have built over the years, and the threshold for russia to do anything against finland has certainly risen. what finland has certainly risen. what kind of impact finland has certainly ris
measures to ensure russia s security. what is your response to that, your message to russia today? it does not sound different from what we have heard from moscow before. i can only say that finnish membership of nato is not targeted against anyone, we do it to maximise our own security, and that is the way we want to see it. we have a long border, over 1300 kilometres with russia, that border has been a very functional one. it has enabled the population from both sides to interact and trade and so forth. of course the situation is now different because of rush hour s own activity and aggression against ukraine, and we fully adhere to the sanctions that, over time, ukraine, and we fully adhere to the sanctions that, overtime, of ukraine, and we fully adhere to the sanctions that, over time, of course we want to see that neighbourly relationship return. that will take
environment, and the way that it sees itself geopolitically, within the european structures of? it the european structures of? it certainly was an awakening call, to realise that we are neighbour to a country that does not adhere to international rules, to international rules, to international legislation, and is ready to attack its neighbour aggressively. so, therefore, what happened in february last year with the invasion of ukraine by russian troops was a game changer for finland, but i would say that the political opinions and the climate started changing already before when russia uttered a language which meant that they would not approve nato s enlargement to the west which in our view was against the principles of european security, set out in the helsinki charter, in 1975, which state that every sovereign country has the right to choose its own security arrangements.- choose its own security arrangements. choose its own security