Context: – Finland has become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Turkey’s unanimous vote played a key role in Finland’s acceptance as a NATO member.
An Overview of the News
- Finland shares a border of more than 1,300 kilometres with Russia, and their decision to join NATO was based on security concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Sweden’s application to join NATO has been rejected by Turkey and Hungary.
- With the accession of Finland, NATO now includes countries in most of Europe and North America.
About NATO
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO), is a military alliance between North American and European countries formed in 1949 and headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
- It was created during the Cold War as a defence pact to prevent Soviet expansion and protect member states from possible aggression.
- The founding members of NATO were the United States, Canada, and ten European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
- NATO Secretary General- Jens Stoltenberg
About Finland
- Prime Minister- Sana Marin
- Capital- Helsinki
- Currency- Euro
