The move further increases Russia’s strategic isolation following its invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February and military struggles since then. “This is truly a historic moment for Finland, for Sweden and for NATO,” said alliance secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. The 30 ambassadors and permanent representatives formally endorsed the decisions of the NATO summit last week, when the alliance took the historic decision to invite neighboring Russia, Finland and Nordic partner Sweden to join the military club.
Turkey can still cause problems
Parliamentary approval in the member state of Turkey could still pose problems for their eventual membership, despite the memorandum of understanding reached between the three. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Ankara could block the process if the two countries did not fully comply with Turkey’s request to extradite terror suspects linked to outlawed Kurdish groups or the network of an accused exiled cleric. for failed coup of 2016. Turkey. He said the Turkish parliament could refuse to ratify the deal. It is a powerful threat, given that NATO membership must be formally approved by all 30 member states, which gives each one the right to block. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are seen during a joint press conference on Monday in Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden, along with Finland, to seek membership in the NATO military alliance after decades of neutrality. (Alexey Furman/Getty Images) Stoltenberg said he did not expect any change of heart. “There were security concerns that needed to be addressed. And we did what we always do in NATO. We found common ground.” At a news conference, the foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland were peppered with questions about whether a specific list of people should be issued to Turkey, but both said such a list was not part of the memorandum with Ankara. “We will honor this memorandum and follow it,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, noting that her government’s actions would always be “in accordance with Swedish law. We will comply with international law.” He said, however, that “we will make sure that we have a mechanism to fight terrorism in all its forms.”
Germany is due to ratify on Friday
Each nation in the alliance has different legislative challenges and processes to contend with, and it could take several more months to officially become members of both. Germany’s parliament is set to ratify the membership bids on Friday, according to the Free Democrats coalition party. Other parliaments may only get to the approval process after the long summer recess. “I look forward to a speedy ratification process,” said Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. The Russian invasion of Ukraine gave the process added urgency. It would integrate the two nations into the Western military alliance and give NATO more influence, especially in the face of Moscow’s military threat. “We will be even stronger and our people will be even safer as we face the biggest security crisis in decades,” Stoltenberg said. Tuesday’s signing brings both nations deeper into the NATO fold already. As close associates, they already participated in some meetings that dealt with issues that affected them immediately. As official invitees, they can attend all ambassador meetings, even if they do not yet have the right to vote.
