The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) opened its doors to two new Scandinavian allies, Sweden and Finland, on Tuesday, but the success of the process will depend on Turkey awaiting the fulfillment of the agreements to lift its veto.
In a private ceremony, the ambassadors of NATO countries officially started the process of ratifying the accession of the Swedes and Finns, with the signing of the protocols at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
“It’s a good day for Sweden and Finland. It’s a good day for NATO,” said Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the powerful military alliance.
The Norwegian also explained that the signing of the protocols “marks the beginning of the approval process” for membership applications.
The entry of Sweden and Finland, two countries with a partnership policy with the alliance, represents a significant strategic strengthening of NATO in the Arctic region, in a scenario of worsening tensions with Russia.
The membership process of Sweden and the Finns, on the other hand, is under an intense cloud of uncertainty due to Turkey’s position, which threatens to use its veto right.
Finnish Chancellor Pekka Haavisto thanked “the alliance’s support for accession” and said she expects a “quick ratification process”.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde declared that “the signing of the accession protocols is an important step for our full integration. The next stage will be the ratification process in each allied country”.
When Sweden and Finland announced their intention to join NATO, Turkey, a key member of the military alliance, declared its veto.
turkish edition
Turkey claims that Sweden offers shelter to people the government deems “terrorists” and also imposes sanctions against Ankara for the military intervention of the two countries in Syria.
At the NATO summit in Madrid last week, Turkey agreed to allow the signing of the protocols, but made a series of requests to the two countries to definitively lift the veto.
After the protocols are signed on Tuesday, membership must be ratified unanimously by the parliaments of each of the 30 alliance countries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that if Finland and Sweden do not comply with the agreement reached in Madrid, his government will veto it and this will make the whole process impossible.
Image: REUTERS/Yves Herman
Erdogan said Sweden has promised to extradite Turkish citizens identified as “terrorists” by the Ankara government to Turkey. The number of requested persons can reach 73.
“A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Sweden, Finland and Turkey. We will honor understanding,” said Chancellor Linde, before adding that any extradition must follow her country’s legal path. said.
Shortly after the ceremony, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas announced on Twitter that he wanted his country’s parliament to vote on approval of membership on Wednesday.
source: Noticias
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