Finland prepares to apply to NATO on May 18: top diplomat

Thu, 30 Jun 2022

Finland prepares to apply to NATO on May 18: top diplomat

PNA
15 May 2022, 20:55 GMT+10

STOCKHOLM - Finland may apply to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on May 18, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

"Our permanent representative to NATO in Brussels will do this [apply] possibly on Wednesday. If talks with NATO begin, they will be taken care of by a delegation led by the foreign minister and the defense minister," he said.

On May 16, Finland's parliament will hold debates on the prospects of the country's accession to NATO.

According to a joint statement by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin published on May 12, Finland should apply for NATO membership as soon as possible.

The formal decision on the application is expected to be made on Sunday.

In early April, the discussion of Finland's possible NATO membership intensified with the main members of the alliance supporting the initiative.

In Finland, the majority of the members of the parliament upheld the idea of joining the bloc.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Moscow would have to undertake military-technical steps to counteract threats to its national security. (TASS)

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Philippine Times.

More Information

26 ℃

Mostly Cloudy in Science Garden

International

Section

Istanbul Pride parades blocked by Turkey police

ISTANBUL, Turkey: Turkish police detained dozens of people after local authorities banned Istanbul's annual Pride parade from going ahead this ...

French urged to conserve energy use to prepare for winter

PARIS, France: Amidst shortages and soaring prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent supply cuts, the heads of ...

At this week's G7 meeting, imports of Russian gold to be banned

WASHINGTON D.C.: In the latest in a series of sanctions aimed at further isolating Russia economically over its invasion of ...

Myanmar military thwarts weapon transporting by PDF fighters

MAGWAY, Myanmar - At least eight resistance fighters were killed on Wednesday when junta troops intercepted a truck they were ...

Shanghai Beijing say life returning to normal after Covid lockdowns

SHANGHAI, China: As Shanghai reports no new cases of Covid for the first time in two months, Shanghai's top communist ...

To counter Chinese, US, Japan, Australia, UK create Pacific group

WASHINGTON D.C.: The White House has reported that the U.S., Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the UK have created an ...

Business

Section

U.S. stock markets struggle, dollar makes sudden jump higher

NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street struggled to find its footing on Wednesday after Fed chief Jerome Powell vowed ...

US farms planting unplanned crops due to chemical shortages

WASHINGTON D.C.: Due to persistent shortages of agricultural chemicals that threaten yields, U.S. farmers have cut back on using common ...

Northrop, Raytheon to build missile to shoot down hypersonic weapons

WASHINGTON D.C.: Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman have won U.S. contracts to develop missiles to intercept hypersonic weapons.The decision means ...

Investors pull plug on share markets in Asia, Nikkei 225 falls 245 points

NEW YORK, New York - Stocks in Asia fell sharply on Wednesday following large falls on Wall Street blamed on ...

Expect Indian inflation over 6%, says Reserve Bank of India deputy

NEW DELHI, India: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor Michael Patra says India's retail inflation is likely to breach ...

US airports saw 2.45 million air passengers on June 24

WASHINGTON D.C.: Despite weather and staffing issues resulting in travel disruptions, last week the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened ...

Movie Review

Guest of Honour