Finland, Sweden Submit Applications To Join NATO –

BRUSSELS (AP) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the military alliance is ready to seize the historic moment and quickly intervene to allow the accession of Finland and Sweden, after the two countries requested the bond.

The official statements made by the Finnish and Swedish ambassadors to NATO are in the Security Watch Chronicle. Russia, whose War in Ukraine forced them to join a military organization, has warned that it will not accept such a step and may respond.

“I warmly welcome the request from Finland and Sweden to join NATO.” You are our closest partner, “Stoltenberg said.” All allies agree on the importance of expanding NATO. We all agree that we should be together and we all agree that this is a historic moment that we should take advantage of ”.

“This is a great day for our security at a critical time,” Stoltenberg said, standing with two representatives, with the flags of NATO, Finland and Sweden on his shoulders.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an end to the expansion of the alliance on Russia’s borders, and some NATO allies, led by the United States and Great Britain, have said they are ready to provide security support to Finland and Sweden. if they try to arouse or destabilize. they. For the time required for full members.

Countries will benefit from NATO’s Article 5 Security Guarantee – part of the Alliance’s founding treaty, which promises that any attack on a member will be considered their attack – once the ratification process is completed, perhaps within a few moon.

If their objections are successful and membership negotiations continue as planned, they can become members within a few months. The process typically takes 8 to 12 months, but NATO wants to act quickly because of Russia’s threat to the Nordic countries.

For example, Canada says it expects to ratify the Accession Protocol within a few days – as Estonian Prime Minister Kaia Kalas wrote on Twitter in the Baltic region: “I am in favor of a speedy access process. We will do our job quickly in Estonia.

Stoltenberg said NATO allies are “determined to work on all issues and quickly reach conclusions.”

The fact that Scandinavian partners have applied together means that they are not wasting time in mutually approving the application for membership.

“Sweden and Finland are holding hands, it’s power.” Now the process of joining the talks is underway, “Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde told Swedish news agency TT.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, public opinion in Finland and Sweden has dramatically changed in favor of membership.

Finland and Sweden work closely in NATO. They have functioning democracies, are well-funded by military forces, and contribute to Alliance military and air police operations. Any obstacles they encounter are technical in nature, or perhaps political.

The NATO accession process is informal and steps may vary. But their application for membership will first be reviewed at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC), which consists of 30 members, possibly at the level of ambassadors.

The NAC will decide whether to switch to membership and what steps should be taken to achieve this. It will largely depend on whether the candidate countries meet NATO’s political, military and legal standards and whether they are contributing to North Atlantic security. This should not cause a big problem for Finland and Sweden.

Going forward, the accession negotiations, which could be completed in a day, once the terms of those negotiations have been set, will require both compliance with Article 5 and compliance with NATO’s $ 2.5 billion budget commitment. , divided proportionally by 32 members. country.

Finland and Sweden will also know their role in NATO’s defense planning and any other legal or security obligations, such as personnel inspections and confidential information processing.

Ian M. Olsen contributed to this report in Copenhagen.