Jens Stoltenber has described it as a “historic step” and has asked for it to be used for collective security
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg received Sweden and Finland’s application for membership of the military organization this Wednesday, a moment he has described as a “historic step” and has asked for it to be used in for collective security.
In an act at Alliance headquarters in Brussels, NATO-accredited Finnish and Swedish ambassadors Klaus Korhonen and Axel Wernhoff handed over the letter of intent, a document signed by foreign ministers equivalent to a formal request for access to NATO.
In a no-question statement after posing next to the Swedish and Finnish ambassadors and documents, Stoltenberg described as a “historic step” the two Scandinavian countries officially applying for NATO membership and, after assuring the security interests of the 30 allies , have chosen to review the candidacy shortly and “come to conclusions quickly”.
“All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement. We agree that we should be together and that it is a historic moment that we should take advantage of,” the former Norwegian prime minister said.
Stoltenberg has defended each country’s sovereignty to make its own security decisions and choose its alliances, focusing on the internal democratic process of both Scandinavian countries that led to them applying for their joining the organization.
With regard to the security guarantees during the interim period, the period during which Finland and Sweden will be de facto members of the Alliance but will not be covered by the collective defense clause, the Secretary-General has made it clear that several allies have committed themselves to and recalled that NATO “will continue to adapt as necessary” in the Baltic region.
With the step taken today, Helsinki and Stockholm formally launch the accession process to the Atlantic Alliance. Now the candidacy will be evaluated in the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s decision-making body that unites all allies, and which will decide whether to open access negotiations with the aspiring countries.
This body will meet on Wednesday, sources from the Atlantic Alliance have told Europa Press, so it is possible that both Scandinavian countries will receive the green light to start their access calls during the day.
Finland and Sweden are NATO’s two closest partners and already participate in many of its meetings, exercises and missions. It also has modern armies aligned with Allied standards, so short negotiations are expected, the longest of which is the one related to the ratification of the protocol, as the process varies according to members.
Both countries are heading for accession that can be completed in record time, even before the end of the year, if there are no obstacles such as those Turkey has already put on the table, which could jeopardize ties between Sweden and Finland with the Party of the European Union. Kurdistan Workers (PKK), a Kurdish organization considered terrorist by Ankara.
Source: La Verdad
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