Aurescu: NATO is safer and stronger with Finland as an ally

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, participated, on Tuesday, in Brussels, at the official ceremony marking the accession of the Republic of Finland to the North Atlantic Alliance.

I welcome the Republic of Finland in the framework of the strongest political-military Alliance in history! Romania, as a firm supporter of NATO's "Open Door" policy, was a firm promoter of Finland's accession to NATO. I personally supported, through active political-diplomatic actions with the Allies and in contact with the Secretary General of NATO, this process. Finland is stronger and safer in NATO, and NATO is safer and stronger with Finland next to it, as an ally. The strengthening of our Alliance is all the more relevant in this period in which Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area are facing the worst security crisis since World War II. Romania, as an ally located in the southern Eastern Flank, on the Black Sea, benefits from the strongest security guarantees in history sa, which clearly shows the advantages of belonging to the Euro-Atlantic family of values, said Minister Aurescu on this occasion, according to the Foreign Ministry (MAE).

He welcomed the Finnish commitment to assume responsibilities for collective security.

I am glad that, together with our Finnish allies, we will actively collaborate to further consolidate, in a united and coherent manner, the deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank, from the North to the South, from the Baltic Sea to the Black, to ensure an integrated vision for Forward Defense, in accordance with the approaches at the level of the Bucharest Format 9, as well as those within the Alliance, said Minister Aurescu.

He announced that, in the next period, Romania will continue to be actively involved in supporting Sweden's accession to NATO.

I hope that at the NATO Summit in Vilnius we will be able to raise the flag of Sweden along with the 31 of the allied states, Aurescu also said.

He conveyed to NATO partners, both the global ones and the most vulnerable - Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova -, an unequivocal message regarding the unity and strong commitment of NATO and each of the allies to promote and defend Euro-Atlantic values and the partnership transatlantic, for cooperation in combating common threats and continuing support for strengthening the resilience of allies and partners in the face of these threats.

The ceremony marking Finland's accession to NATO took place on the day of the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949, which created the North Atlantic Alliance and established the collective defense mechanism.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Minister Aurescu will participate in the meeting of Foreign Ministers from the NATO member states that takes place in Brussels, the first in the new format of the North Atlantic Alliance, of 31 members, and the first after the ministerial meeting hosted in Bucharest, in November 2022, by the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu. Sweden will continue to participate in all meetings as a guest until joining the Alliance.