Metro Plus News Finland inaugurates Alexander Stubb as president for the NATO era

Finland inaugurates Alexander Stubb as president for the NATO era

Alexander Stubb took office as Finland’s president on Friday, ready to oversee a new era after it joined NATO in response to neighbouring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
During his campaign for the Feb. 11 vote, Stubb said he saw no limits for Finland’s participation in NATO and would be ready to let nuclear weapons be transported through Finland – though not stored there – as the country abandoned decades of military non-alignment.
Stubb said in his address to parliament during the inauguration, “We are now facing a new era. As a result of our military alignment and NATO membership, we have taken the final step into the Western community of values, where our republic has spiritually belonged throughout its independence.”
Stubb listed democracy, rule of law and human rights as the core values that Finland’s foreign policy would be based on under his leadership.
Stubb replaces outgoing president Sauli Niinisto, who steps down after two six-year terms in which he earned the nickname “the Putin Whisperer” for his previous close ties with the Russian leader.