Brussels
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the military alliance is ready to seize a historic moment and move quickly to allow Finland and Sweden to join its ranks, after the two countries submitted their applications for membership. .
The official requests, delivered by the Finnish and Swedish ambassadors to NATO, started a security clock. Russia, whose war against Ukraine prompted them to join the military organization, has warned that it would not welcome such a move and could fight back.
“I warmly welcome the applications from Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partners,” 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 a historic moment that we must seize.”
“This is a good day at a critical time for our security,” said a beaming Mr. Stoltenberg, as he stood beside the two envoys, the flags of NATO, Finland and Sweden behind him.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that the alliance stop expanding to Russia’s borders, and several NATO allies, led by the United States and Britain, have signaled they are ready to provide security support to Finland and Sweden. in case the Kremlin tries to provoke or destabilize. them for as long as it takes to become full members.
The countries will only benefit from the security guarantee of NATO’s Article 5, the part of the alliance’s founding treaty that promises that any attack on one member will be considered an attack on all of them, once the ratification process is complete. membership, probably in a few months.
The move is one of the war’s biggest geopolitical ramifications and will rewrite Europe’s security map. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed him in a tweet, saying “Putin’s dire ambitions have transformed the geopolitical contours of our continent.”
However, for now, the request must be weighed by the 30 member countries. That process is expected to take about two weeks, although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed reservations about joining Finland and Sweden.
If their objections are overcome and membership talks go as well as expected, the two could become members soon. The process usually takes between eight and 12 months, but NATO wants to act quickly given the threat from Russia that hangs over the heads of the Nordic countries.
Canada, for example, says it hopes to ratify its accession protocol in just a few days, while in the Baltic region, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted: “I encourage a speedy accession process. In Estonia we will do our part quickly.”
Stoltenberg said NATO allies “are determined to solve all problems and come to quick conclusions.”
The fact that the Nordic partners applied together means they won’t waste time having to ratify each other’s membership applications.
“That Sweden and Finland go hand in hand is a strength. Now the process of joining the talks continues,” Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told the Swedish news agency TT.
It shouldn’t take long to get approval in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. His prime ministers issued a joint statement on Wednesday saying they “fully support and warmly welcome the historic decisions” made in Helsinki and Stockholm.
But Erdoğan insisted on Wednesday that Finland and Sweden must show more respect for Turkish sensitivities on terrorism. He refused to back down on his opposition to his membership in the alliance due to his alleged support for Kurdish militants.
He accuses the two countries of turning a blind eye to the activities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, even though the group is on the European Union’s anti-terrorism blacklist.
“He will not hand us terrorists, but he will ask us to allow him to join NATO. NATO is a security entity. It’s a security agency. Therefore, we cannot say ‘yes’ to depriving this security organization of security,” he said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers.
Still, Stoltenberg said NATO allies “are determined to solve all problems and come to quick conclusions.”
Public opinion in Finland and Sweden has swung massively in favor of membership since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Finland and Sweden cooperate closely with NATO. They have functioning democracies, well-funded armed forces, and contribute to alliance military operations and air surveillance. Any obstacles they face will simply be technical in nature, or possibly political.
The NATO membership process is not formalized and the steps may vary. But first their membership applications will be considered at a session of the North Atlantic Council of 30 member countries, probably at the ambassadorial level.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.