Photo: MARKKU ULANDER/LEHTIKUVA/DPA/PICTURE ALLIANCE / Deutsche Welle
The Swedish and Finnish ambassadors to NATO met this Wednesday (80.05.2022) in Brussels with the secretary Allied General Jens Stoltenberg, who considered the formal delivery of the admission applications of both Scandinavian countries “a historic step”.
The act, broadcast live on the NATO website, took place earlier today, after the Finnish Parliament to approve joining the Alliance and for the Swedish Government to communicate its decision to request entry into that organization.
The Finnish diplomat, Klaus Korhonen, and the Swede, Axel Wernhoff, hand-delivered to Stoltenberg their countries’ applications to join NATO, and then the Allied Secretary General described the decision reached this Wednesday by Stockholm and Helsinki as a “historic step”.
“The requests made today are a historic step”, assured Stoltenberg.
He added that today is “a good day at a critical time for our security” and thanked both countries for submitting their application forms.
“Every nation has the right to choose its own way. Both have made an election after rigorous democratic processes, and I warmly welcome the applications from Finland and Sweden to join NATO”, he stated in a short and simple act.
He stressed that Helsinki and Stockholm are “the closest partners” of the Alliance, and added that the entry of both into the transatlantic organization “will increase our shared security”.
“The allies will now consider the next steps on their way to NATO. The security interests of all allies must be taken into account and we are determined to solve all problems and reach quick conclusions”, he stated.
Turkey, a member of NATO, has expressed its opposition to the entry of Sweden and Finland into the Alliance because it considers that both countries maintain a policy of welcoming Kurdish militants.
The entry of new members into the Alliance is a decision they make the countries of the transatlantic organization unanimously, so Ankara’s approval is needed.
Stoltenberg recalled that in recent days there have been seen announcements from NATO members that they have pledged to protect the security of Finland and Sweden.
“NATO is already vigilant in the region of the Baltic Sea and NATO and allied forces will continue to adapt as necessary. All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement. We all agree that we should stick together,” Stoltenberg said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership, despite their tradition as neutral countries.