Finland And Sweden Submit Applications To Join NATO

Topline

Finland and Sweden officially submitted their applications to join NATO on Wednesday, head of the alliance Jens Stoltenberg confirmed, an expected move that the two historically neutral Nordic nations have taken in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg displays documents as Sweden and Finland applied for … [+] membership in Brussels, Belgium.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Key Facts

According to an official statement, the Finnish Ambassador to NATO, Klaus Korhonen, and the Swedish Ambassador to NATO, Axel Wernhoff, both handed in their official letters of application to join the military alliance at NATO’s Brussels headquarters.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accepted the applications and said he “warmly welcomed their decisions.”

Stoltenberg hailed both Sweden and Finland as NATO’s “closest partners” and said their membership would “increase our shared security.”

The NATO chief added that the member states were determined to work through all issues and reach “rapid conclusions” to the application process.

Crucial Quote

“This is a good day, at a critical moment for our security…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. So thank you, it is great to see you both,” Stoltenberg said while accepting the applications.

Contra

The biggest hurdle to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance appears to be Turkey’s opposition. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his opposition, a stance he doubled down on Monday. Erdogan said Turkey does not hold “positive views” about the application and accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants and other groups the government views as terrorist organizations. Finland, Sweden and several other Western nations have offered support to the Kurdish people and the armed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. As ascension into NATO requires unanimous support from all 30 members, Turkey’s opposition could scuttle the applications.

Tangent

Despite Turkey’s opposition, other NATO members have vowed to move quickly to ratify Finland and Sweden’s applications. Canada has indicated it is in favor of a quick accession and expects to ratify the application within weeks. The prime ministers of Baltic NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said they will do their “utmost to ensure that this accession process will go swiftly and smoothly.” U.S. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell has also expressed support for Finland and Sweden’s application and has promised to move the ratification process along “expeditiously.”

Key Background

According to the Associated Press, the application by the two countries will first be weighed by NATO’s member states, a process that should take around two weeks. If Sweden and Finland are able to alleviate Turkey’s concerns and there is no other opposition, the two countries could become members of the alliance within a few months. In normal circumstances, this process takes significantly longer, but the looming threat of Russian aggression has prompted NATO officials to move quickly. Once the ratification is completed, both Finland and Sweden will be protected by NATO’s Article 5—a security guarantee that states that an attack on member is considered an attack on all.