Finnish President Niinistö has officially signed the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) today, greenlighting the deployment of NATO forces on Finnish soil, a nightmare scenario for the Soviet Union and an uncomfortable reality for the Russian Federation which has opposed NATO enlargement.
It has also approved the Paris Protocols which allows for the establishment of an international NATO headquarters on its soil. These agreements will allow large NATO formations to operate on the large Finnish-Russian border areas in Karelia and up to the Kola Peninsula where Russian forces have had a historically light presence due to Finnish neutrality.
The announcement reads below:”
“Finland will accede to the NATO Status of Forces Agreement and the Paris Protocol by depositing the instruments of accession with the Government of the United States. Finland’s accession will enter into force 30 days after of the date of deposit of the instruments of accession.
The President of the Republic also confirmed the acts bringing into force the agreements and incorporating them into Finnish legislation and related amendments to certain national acts. The acts bringing into force the agreements will be brought into force by a government decree after Finland has deposited the instruments of accession. Some of the amendments to the national acts will enter into force on 1 April 2024 and others on 27 April 2024.”
This is the culmination of a two-year long negotiations for Sweden and Finland’s accession into the alliance out of security concerns following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland has a special concern considering it had fought several wars and skirmishes with the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. Helsinki is now the closest NATO capital to the Russian border.
