THE Finland decided to request it its accession to NATOannounced today the president and prime minister of the Scandinavian country, which is a direct consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s a historic day. “A new era is beginning,” said the Finnish president Sauli Niinisto during a press conference.
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.
The informal NATO summit and the stance of Turkey
In informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministerswhich started yesterday Saturday and ends today Sunday, on the occasion of the war in Ukraine, one of the central issues was the forthcoming application for membership of Sweden and Finland.
Finnish Foreign Minister Peka Haavisto said on Saturday that his country intends to apply for NATO membership next week, if Parliament decides on Monday. He also noted that Finnish President Sauli Niinisto had spoken by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to inform him of Helsinki’s intention, while he had spoken with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoλουlu in order to “reduce the tension.” the reservations expressed by the Turkish side about the possibility of Finland and Sweden joining the Alliance.
Greece is “Ready to welcome Sweden and Finland to the NATO family” and believes that “they have a lot to offer”, said Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias attending the working dinner of the informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers at the German Foreign Ministry.
Among other things, the position that the Turkish Foreign Minister will take at the meeting is expected to be of particular interest. Mevlüt Tsavousoglu on the possibility of Sweden and Finland joining the North Atlantic Alliance, following statements on Friday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who said that the two Scandinavian countries’ membership in NATO would be a “mistake”.
However, the Turkish president’s representative later hastened to stress how Ankara has not closed the door Sweden and Finland join NATO, but wants to negotiate with the two Nordic countries, as well as crack down on what it calls “terrorist” activities, especially in Stockholm.
The accession of a new member to the North Atlantic Alliance requires unanimity from all member states of the Alliance.
Shortly before the working dinner of the informal meeting of the Alliance’s foreign ministers late Saturday night, several member states expressed their support for the prospect of Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Among them are the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Norway and Slovakia, Canada and the Netherlands.
“NATO will find a sensible solution to accept Finland and Sweden as new members of the Alliance despite Turkish concerns,” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevics said yesterday before the Alliance’s informal cabinet in Berlin.
At 15:30 (Greek time) a joint press conference is scheduled for the “hostess” Foreign Minister Analena Berbok and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Convinced that eventually all 30 NATO member states would support Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO and “no country will take responsibility to prevent them”, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn appeared.
Referring to the evolution of NATO, Mr. Asselborn typically said that “from brain dead in 2019, it reached a rebirth in 2022, thanks to Putin.” “NATO will grow, I am convinced,” he said, adding that the Alliance would remain defensive, as has been the case since the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A spokesman for Peter Stano told APE that the decision by Helsinki and Stockholm to join NATO was “a sovereign decision of the two countries and that their membership in NATO is a matter for Finland, Sweden and the 30 Allies to decide.” of NATO “.
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