New Delhi: Russia’s neighbouring country Finland on Sunday officially announced its intention to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as a member nation, reported news agency the Associated Press.
The announcement was made during a joint press conference of the Finnish President Sauli Niinitso and Prime Minister Sanna Marin at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.
The Nordic country will now send a formal membership application to the NATO headquarters in Brussels, most likely at some point in the next week, reported the news agency.
On Saturday, Niinisto in a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Nordic country which shares a long border and history with Russia “will decide to apply for NATO membership in the coming days”, AP had reported.
In a statement by Niinisto’s office it was stated that the Finnish President told his Russian counterpart how thoroughly Finland's security environment had changed after Moscow's February 24 invasion on Ukraine, and pointed to Russia's demands on Finland refraining from seeking membership in NATO, the 30-member Western military alliance.
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“The discussion (with Putin) was straightforward and unambiguous and was held without exaggeration. Avoiding tensions was considered important,” said Niinisto. The statement did not disclose any comments from the Russian side.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, the longest by any European Union member.