Topline
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Finland and Sweden could expect some arrangements and protection in the stages between the two countries applying for membership and until their formal ratification is finalized, as a Finnish minister indicated they could make a decision together on joining NATO in the coming weeks.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference after the NATO Foreign Ministers … [+]
Key Facts
Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels he is “confident that there are ways to bridge that interim period,” in case Russia tries to intimidate the two countries after they potentially apply to join the alliance.
NATO is a 30-country alliance joined together by a security agreement that says “an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies,” and requires NATO countries to provide military aid if a member country is attacked.
Stoltenberg’s comments suggest member countries could provide some support to Finland and Sweden before all 30 countries formally ratify their addition to the alliance.
Stoltenberg said that if Finland and Sweden decide to apply, he expects for the two countries to be “warmly welcomed” and for the “process to go quickly,” and added he will be speaking with the Finnish President later on Thursday.
The comments come after Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said earlier this week the two countries could make a decision on the same day or within the same week, but clarified no date has been set for any potential application.
Crucial Quote
Stoltenberg said he was “certain that we will be able to find arrangements” for the interim period between an application by the two Scandinavian countries and the formal ratification in the parliaments of all the NATO members. “This is fundamentally about the right of every nation in Europe to decide its own future,” Stoltenberg said. “So when Russia tries, in a way, to threaten, to intimidate Finland and Sweden from not applying, it just demonstrates how Russia is not respecting the basic right of every nation to choose its own path.”
Key Background
Russia’s invasion into Ukraine has forced Finland and Sweden to re-evaluate their longstanding military neutrality. “There is a before and after the 24th of February,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said during a press conference this month announcing that both countries are conducting security reviews. “The security landscape has completely changed.” Finland, which declared independence from Russia in 1917, shares an 810-mile border with Russia, though Russia invaded the country in 1939 and sparked a year-long war that ended with Finland ceding 11% of its territory to Russia. Sweden has pledged to avoid military alliances for over 200 years, though DW reports a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea could be a vulnerable target if conflict broke out in the region.
Chief Critic
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded for NATO to pull troops back from Russia’s border, indicating that Russia is likely to oppose its neighbor, Finland, and Sweden joining the alliance. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has warned that Russia would have to “rebalance the situation” with “military and political consequences,” and Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said earlier this month Russia is prepared to send nuclear weapons to the Baltics if the two countries join the alliance.
Further Reading
Finland And Sweden May Decide On Joining NATO Together — But Finnish Minister Clarifies Timeline (Forbes)
Finland Joining NATO ‘Highly Likely’ And Hopefully ‘Swift,’ Finnish Minister Says (Forbes)
Here’s Why Finland And Sweden Might Join NATO — And Why It Matters (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/04/28/nato-could-provide-arrangements-for-sweden-and-finland-during-membership-process-secretary-general-says/