Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen to NATO Headquarters on Monday (20 March 2023) for talks on Finland's progress toward membership in the Alliance.
Mr Stoltenberg welcomed the announcement by Türkiye that they will now move forward on the ratification of Finnish membership, and Hungary's announcement that they will also vote on Finnish ratification in the coming days. "We welcome the progress which is now made on finalising the ratification of Finland, and we will continue to work hard. It will be a top priority to ensure that also Sweden will become a full member in the near future," he said. The Secretary General added: "President Putin invaded Ukraine with the declared goal of having less NATO in Europe. He is getting exactly the opposite. There will be more NATO in Europe".
