Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (right) attends a joint press conference in Stockholm with Finnish President Sauli Ninistø during his official visit to the country on the 17th (local time). Prime Minister Andersson announced on the 18th that the two countries would submit applications for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) together. yunhap news
Finland and Sweden submitted official applications to NATO headquarters on the 18th (local time) for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Two Nordic countries, which had advocated a neutral path according to a policy of military non-alignmentism for over 70 years, decided to join NATO at the same time following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Archyde.com reported on the same day that these countries had only maintained cooperative relations with NATO, but decided to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on the same day that Finland and Sweden’s requests to join NATO were “welcomed” and confirmed that the NATO representatives of these governments had submitted the application.
Previously, Russia had waged war on the pretext that Ukraine’s western bias and NATO’s ‘east movement’ threatened its national security.
The invasion of Ukraine was also unsuccessful, and if Sweden and Finland, which bordered each other, joined NATO, NATO would expand to the chin of Russia.
Diplomatic sources said it might take up to a year for parliaments of the 30 NATO member countries to ratify accession by Finland and Sweden, Archyde.com reported.
The biggest obstacle is Turkey. The Turkish government, which is trying to ‘walk the tightrope’ between the West and Russia, is trying to prevent them from joining NATO.
As Russia warns of ‘corresponding measures’ if Finland and Sweden join NATO, which border each other, military tensions over the Baltic Sea are also expected to intensify.
