Joint Declaration on the Closure of the Military Integration Process of Finland’s NATO membership

Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Timo Kivinen, and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne, signed a joint declaration on June 12, 2023, marking the closure of the military integration process of Finland’s NATO membership.

The signing ceremony of the declaration took place at the Presidential Palace, hosted by the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö. President Niinistö opened the ceremony, and Commander of the Defence Forces, General Timo Kivinen, and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne, gave brief speeches.

In his speech, General Kivinen emphasized Finland's strong commitment to fulfilling the obligations of a member state.

– NATO is built upon the Musketeer principle: one for all, all for one. We Finns understand that well and are committed to fulfilling the obligations that stem from the principle – and we do take our commitments seriously, said Kivinen.

General Lavigne underlined the importance of Finland's membership.

– Finland's accession to Nato is a game changer, a major contribution to our collective defence. A decisive step towards restoring stability on the European continent.

The integration of the Finnish Defence Forces with NATO has been carried out since July 2022 as part of the military integration process, with the aim of enabling the Defence Forces to participate in NATO's operations, on par with the armed forces of other member states. Although the formal phase is ending, military integration with NATO will continue for years after the closure of the process.

The full declaration, signed on June 12th in Helsinki:

The Republic of Finland became a formal member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the 4th of April 2023, resulting in an increased level of stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic area. Upon joining the Alliance, the Republic of Finland entered the Final Integration Phase. The main goals were the integration of the Finnish Defence Forces into the NATO Command and Force structures and ensuring their contribution to the Alliance’s missions and tasks in accordance with NATO’s principles and procedures. To accomplish these objectives, a National Integration Plan was developed, accompanied by NATO’s Support Plan, led by Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and closely coordinated with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and with the Joint and Single Service Commands. The formal Integration Phase has been successfully completed and the Finnish Defence Forces will now maintain their declared capabilities. As an affirmation of fulfilment of the Integration Phase objectives by the Finnish Defence Forces today, the 12th day of June 2023, we hereby declare the formal end of the Integration Phase.