Possible accession of Sweden and Finland will strengthen NATO not only defensively but also politically, democraticallysaid the German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock and stressed the need, if the two countries apply for membership, for the accession process to be accelerated, so that they do not remain in the “gray zone” for a long time and guarantees are given for the transitional period.
«NATO was and will remain defense alliance, but its doors are open to anyone who needs protection. Prior to February 24, it was not very important for some countries to join. That changed, especially for our friends at Scandinavia. People there did not want to join, but now they are being pushed to join. Because, like us, they want to live in peace and security“Ms. Berbock said as she approached the informal meeting of the Alliance ‘s foreign ministers in Berlin, noting that Germany was already preparing for a request to speed up the ratification process.
He added that other countries have already done the same. «If they decide to join, they will be able to join quickly. We need to make sure that we provide them with security guarantees. There should be no transitional period, a gray area, where their status will be unclear“, Said the Minister, referring to the period of ratification of the accession, during which the candidate country is not covered by the Article 5 of the NATO Treatyaccording to which a possible attack on a Member State is considered an attack on all allies.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
