Adhering to neutrality since 1948… Turning public opinion on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Last-minute variables in Turkey’s ‘fish farm’… Putin “mistake” warning
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(Berlin, Seoul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hwang Cheol-hwan, Correspondent Lee Yul = Both the Finnish and Swedish governments have begun the process of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in earnest.
The Finnish government announced on the 15th (local time) that it had decided to apply for membership.
According to AP and AFP news agency, Finland’s President Sauli Ninistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin held a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on the same day.
“Today, the President and the Government Foreign Policy Committee, following consulting with Parliament, have jointly reached an agreement that Finland will apply for NATO membership,” Niinistö said.
The decision must be approved by the Finnish parliament, but the process is considered formal, the Associated Press reported.
The Finnish parliament is expected to discuss the decision on the 16th, and a majority of 200 MPs are said to be in favor of Finland’s accession to NATO.
“The government and the president have worked very well to reach an important decision today,” said Prime Minister Marin. “We hope that Congress will approve this decision to apply for NATO membership within a few days.”
After the parliamentary approval process is completed, Finland will submit an official application for membership to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and the application time is expected to be within the next week.
The announcement came three days following President Ninistö and Prime Minister Marin jointly expressed their position on the 12th that “Finland should apply for NATO membership without delay.”
Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats also announced on the same day that they supported Sweden’s membership in NATO.
The Social Democratic Party announced on its website that it had made this decision following a special meeting that day. The Social Democrats, however, decided to reject the deployment of nuclear weapons or the long-term presence of NATO in their territory.
Sweden’s parliament is also scheduled to hold a debate on NATO accession on the 16th. Currently, most political parties in Sweden are in favor of NATO membership, but some on the left argue that NATO membership will only increase regional tensions. In a poll conducted at the end of last month, the opinion in favor of membership slightly outpaced the opposition.
Sweden is expected to submit an application for NATO membership as early as the 16th.
Finland, a Nordic country that shares a border with Russia 1,300 km, has maintained military neutrality since 1948.
Although it is a member of the European Union (EU), it is because it has considered relations with Russia, a neighboring country.
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Sweden also declared a military non-alignment policy from the time NATO was launched in 1949. This is because this country has been acting as a mediator on the international stage since World War II, focusing on multilateral diplomacy and nuclear disarmament and implementing foreign policy.
However, as Russia invaded Ukraine in February, public opinion in Sweden and Finland shifted sharply in favor of NATO membership.
Earlier this week, Finnish President Ninistö said in a meeting with reporters this week that “(Finland’s) joining NATO is not at a disadvantage for anyone,” and Russia also replied, “You caused this. Look in the mirror.” said
Russia has strongly opposed Finland and Sweden’s move to join NATO. This is because if Finland and Sweden join NATO, the border between Russia and NATO will increase to the current ship.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned on the 12th that if Finland joins NATO, it will take countermeasures, including ‘military and technical measures’.
On the 14th, President Ninistö called Russian President Vladimir Putin to explain his plans to join NATO. said
However, unlike most NATO member countries that welcome Finland’s accession, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the 13th that Finland’s “not a positive stance” on joining NATO is considered as a last-minute variable.
According to NATO rules, new membership can only be made by the unanimous consent of existing members.
After meeting with NATO foreign ministers on the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chowsoglu said that he met with Sweden and Finland counterparts and said Sweden and Finland should stop supporting ‘terrorists’ in both countries if they want to join NATO.
He said Turkey and Finland are not trying to intimidate anyone or leverage NATO accession in their national interest, saying Sweden and Finland must provide clear security guarantees and lift bans on some defense materials to Turkey. However, it explained that Sweden is openly opposing the support of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), which is pushing for independence of the Kurds in Turkey.
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