BRUSSELS –
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the military alliance was ready to take advantage of the historic moment and quickly allow Finland and Sweden to join its ranks after the two countries applied for membership.
Official statements made by the ambassadors of Finland and Sweden to NATO set a security clock to tick. Russia, whose war against Ukraine has prompted them to join the military, has warned it will not welcome such a move and may respond.
“I warmly welcome the requests of 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 the radiant Stoltenberg as he stood beside the two envoys with NATO flags, Finland and Sweden on their backs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the alliance to halt its expansion to Russia’s borders, and several NATO allies, led by the United States and Britain, have signaled they are ready to support Finland and Sweden’s security if the Kremlin tries to provoke or destabilize them during the time required to become full members.
The countries will only benefit from NATO’s security guarantee under 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, it is likely in a few months.
This move is one of the biggest geopolitical consequences of the war and will rewrite the map of Europe’s security. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted this and said that “Putin’s horrific ambitions have changed the geopolitical contours of our continent.”
For now, however, the application must be weighed by the 30 member states. The process is expected to take about two weeks, although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed reservations about the accession of Finland and Sweden.
If his objections are resolved and accession talks go as expected, the two could soon become members. The process usually takes 8 to 12 months, but NATO wants to act quickly, given the threat from Russia looming over Scandinavian countries.
Canada, for example, says it expects to ratify its accession protocol in just a few days, while Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas tweeted in the Baltic region: “I encourage a swift accession process. We in Estonia will do our part quickly “
Stoltenberg said NATO allies were “determined to work on all issues and reach quick conclusions”.
The fact that the Scandinavian partners have applied together means that they will not waste time having to ratify their application for membership.
“The fact that Sweden and Finland go hand in hand is a strength. Now the process of joining the negotiations continues,” Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told the Swedish news agency TT.
It should not take long to gain approval in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Their prime ministers issued a joint statement on Wednesday, saying they “fully support and warmly welcome the historic decisions” taken in Helsinki and Stockholm.
But Erdogan insisted on Wednesday that Finland and Sweden should show more respect for Turkey’s sensitivity to terrorism. He refused to back down from opposing their membership in the alliance because of their alleged support for Kurdish extremists.
He accused both sides of turning a blind eye to the activities of the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party or PKK, even though the group is on the European Union’s blacklist for fighting terrorism.
“You will not hand over terrorists to us, but you will want us to allow you to join NATO. NATO is a security structure. It is a security agency. “Therefore, we cannot say ‘yes’ to depriving this organization of security,” he told ruling party lawmakers.
However, Stoltenberg said NATO allies were “determined to work on all issues and reach quick conclusions”.
Public opinion in Finland and Sweden has changed significantly in favor of membership since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
Finland and Sweden are cooperating closely with NATO. They have functioning democracies, well-funded armed forces and contribute to the alliance’s military operations and air police. All the obstacles they face will be only technical or possibly political.
The NATO membership process is not formalized and steps may vary. But first, their applications for accession will be considered at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) of the 30 member states, possibly at ambassadorial level.
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Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Susan Fraser in Ankara, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report
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