Croatia vows to support Finland’s NATO bid

Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen, who visited Zagreb on Friday and Saturday got Croatia’s strong commitment to supporting Finland’s application for NATO membership.

During her visit, Tuppurainen met for discussions with Croatian State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić and Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Croatian Parliament Domagoj Hajduković, among others, said a government press release on Saturday.

Topics on the agenda during the visit included Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and assistance to Ukraine, EU enlargement policy, Finland’s NATO membership process, and Croatia’s accession to the Schengen area and adoption of the euro.

“In my discussions today ( Saturday), I was able to hear Croatia’s strong commitment to supporting Finland’s application for NATO membership,” Tuppurainen said.

“The discussions during the visit showed that two small Member States at different ends of Europe share a lot in common. We understand each other and share the effort to operate at the heart of Europe, influencing the direction of the European Union. Finland supports Croatia’s efforts to further deepen its EU integration,” the minister added.

With regard to Finland’s NATO application process, Tuppurainen said that Finland provides stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic region. Now, and later as a full Member of NATO, Finland shoulders its share of responsibility for European security.

Finland will continue its strong support for the development of EU defence cooperation. At the meetings, Tuppurainen expressed her gratitude to Croatia for its support in Finland’s NATO membership process.

The discussions highlighted the need to increase pressure on Russia and to provide many forms of support for Ukraine. Extensive international cooperation and coordination will eventually be needed for Ukraine’s reconstruction, and international financial institutions in particular play a key role.

With regard to Ukraine’s application for EU membership, it is important to agree on concrete steps for Ukraine to become an EU Member State.

Finland supports the EU perspective of the Western Balkan countries, and their active commitment to EU integration and meeting the criteria are instrumental.

Candidate countries must commit to the EU’s common values and their implementation in practice. Cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans is particularly important in the current security situation.

Croatia has announced that it will seek to adopt the euro from the beginning of 2023.

The Council of the European Union stated in its December conclusions that Croatia fulfils the necessary conditions for applying all parts of the Schengen acquis.

With the accession criteria being met, Finland supports Croatia’s objectives with regard to both the euro and the Schengen area.