Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto to deposit Finland's instrument of accession and attend NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels

On 4 April, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will deposit Finland's instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty. Minister Haavisto will deposit the instrument of accession in Brussels with the Government of the United States. Finland will become a NATO member country at the moment of the deposit. Minister Haavisto will also represent Finland at the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs starting on the same day.

After Finland has become a member of NATO, Minister Haavisto will deposit Finland’s instrument of accession for Sweden’s NATO membership. After the deposit, NATO Headquarters and NATO's military headquarters will honour Finland's membership by raising the Finnish flag. Finland’s representatives attending the flag-raising ceremony are President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen

NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet in Brussels on 4–5 April 2023. The meeting will begin after the flag-raising ceremony. 

“This will be the first meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs which Finland attends as a member of the Alliance. It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasise NATO's support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region,” says Haavisto. 

NATO's support to Ukraine will be one of the key topics on the foreign ministers' agenda. The meeting is an important step in the preparations for NATO’s Vilnius Summit in July. The meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

NATO's Indo-Pacific partner countries Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have been invited to attend the last working session, which will also be attended by High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell

Minister Haavisto will also have bilateral meetings in Brussels.

Inquiries

  • Joel Linnainmäki, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 466
  • Minna Laajava, Director of the Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management, tel. +358 295 350 128 
  • The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected].