Sweden and Finland yesterday formally submitted their applications to join NATO, confirming a radical redrawing of Europe’s security landscape triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accepted the Nordic neighbors’ membership applications, each in a white folder embossed with their national flag, at the headquarters of the US-led defensive alliance in Brussels.
“I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partners,” Stoltenberg told the two countries’ ambassadors, hailing the occasion as “a historic step” and “a good day at a critical time for our safety.”
Photo: AFP
NATO ambassadors were expected to discuss the applications yesterday and could give the green light to opening formal talks with the pair on their requests, but Turkey has raised objections that could delay or even derail the process.
All 30 NATO members need to approve the enlargement, which must then be ratified by their parliaments, taking up to a year. The alliance has said it wants to move as fast as possible given the potential Russian threat over Finland and Sweden’s heads.
“The security interests of all allies have to be taken into account and we are determined to work through all issues and reach rapid conclusions,” Stoltenberg said. “All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement. We all agree that we must stand together and we all agree that this is an historic moment which we must seize.”
Ankara has said its objections are rooted in what it describes as Sweden and Finland’s support for members of Kurdish militant groups, and their decisions in 2019 to impose arms export embargos on Ankara over Turkey’s military operations in Syria.
Helsinki, Stockholm and the other Western allies have said they are optimistic they can overcome Turkey’s objections. Many analysts believe that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces elections next year, is seeking concessions for domestic political advantage and unlikely ultimately to veto the applications.
In the hope that speedy ratification by the US would help advance the process, the Swedish defense minister has already headed to Washington and is to be followed by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, who are due to meet US President Joe Biden today.
If successful, the applications would represent the most significant expansion of NATO in decades, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia, which has repeatedly warned it would be forced to respond to “restore balance” after what it called “a serious mistake.”
However, Moscow’s response has so far been relatively muted, with Russian President Vladimir Putin describing Finland and Sweden’s accession as not a threat in itself.
Only the deployment of military infrastructure on their territories would provoke a response, Putin said.
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