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
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