The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance.
The start of the accession process came a day after Turkey withdrew its objections to membership from two Scandinavian countries, which Ankara accused of harboring members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered terrorists.
“Today we decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become NATO members and we decided to sign access protocols,” said a statement from the leaders of the Euro-Atlantic alliance held in Madrid, Spain.
“The participation of Finland and Sweden will make these countries safer, NATO stronger and the Euro-Atlantic region safer,” the statement said.
Helsinki and Stockholm maintained a historic policy of military neutrality between the West and Russia, but abandoned this strategy after the invasion of Ukraine.
The war waged by Vladimir Putin’s regime has increased fears of attacks on other European countries that are not currently part of NATO, such as Ukraine.
Although Turkey threatened to veto the entry of the two Scandinavian countries, it changed its mind after the tripartite meeting in Madrid last Tuesday (28).
According to Ankara, the Turkish government will send extradition requests for the PKK and its 33 members accused of involvement in the failed 2016 coup, 21 in Sweden and 12 in Finland.
Moscow, for its part, said that the joining of Helsinki and Stockholm to NATO did not in itself pose a threat, but made it clear that its response would depend on the alliance’s military presence in those countries. 1.3 thousand kilometers from the Russian border.
Russian and Chinese threat – The leaders of the military organization also approved the new strategic concept for 2022, which places Russia “the most important and direct threat to the security of allies and peace.”
According to the document, Moscow is “trying to establish spheres of influence and direct control through coercion, subversion, aggression and annexation”, as well as using “conventional, computer and hybrid means” against NATO members.
In addition, the alliance claims that China’s “proclaimed coercive ambitions and policies are challenging our interests, security and values”.
According to NATO, Beijing “uses a wide variety of political, economic and military means to increase its global influence and power project.”
“The deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia and attempts to undermine the rules-based international order go against our values and interests,” the Euro-Atlantic organization’s new strategic concept says.
But for China, NATO “continues to enter the Asia-Pacific region” and is “creating tension”. “NATO needs to stop drawing ideological lines and inciting political conflicts, preventing the start of a new Cold War,” said Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.
source: Noticias
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