Finland will ask to join NATO; Alliance to Consider Security Guarantees Until Confirmation of Membership / Article

Finland will ask to join NATO; the alliance will consider security guarantees until membership is confirmed

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This is a historic day for Finland and its people. This was announced by President Sauli Nīniste on Sunday, May 15, informing the general public that the president and the government’s foreign affairs committee have reached an agreement on the country’s accession to NATO. As Niniste emphasized, the decision to join the North Atlantic Alliance after 75 years of neutrality will also mean a huge change in public thinking and security perceptions.

Parliament must be consulted before a formal application is submitted. Such a parliamentary sitting is scheduled for Monday and, as the Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marina has pointed out, a final decision could be taken in the coming days. Sanna Marina has also expressed the hope that next week it will be possible to apply for membership in the Alliance together with Sweden: “Of course, we are interested in the ratification process being as short and smooth as possible. So this spring we have discussed We have so far seen no hint within NATO that Sweden’s or Finland’s membership of the Alliance NATO. “

In recent days, however, both Finland and Sweden have been made very worrying by Turkish President Recep Taiyip Erdogan.

He said that the Scandinavian countries had become a haven for terrorists, which meant the reception of Kurds who had been declared terrorists in Turkey. Erdogan has also criticized former leaders who admitted Greece to the Alliance in 1952, with whom there is still disagreement over a divided Cyprus. As Finnish President Sauli Niniste said on Sunday, Erdogan’s position is a surprise to him: “Frankly, I am a little confused because I had a telephone conversation with President Erdogan about a month ago. It was he who emphasized that our application for NATO membership would be considered. I am therefore surprised that completely different statements were made two days ago, yesterday we heard that Turkey is looking positive again and then everything has turned negative again, and I think we need a very clear answer now. I am ready for new talks with President Erdogan on the issues he has highlighted. “

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushoglu explained on Sunday that Finland’s position was quite constructive, but Sweden’s statements were very provocative.

As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out in a statement today by Finnish leaders, NATO will consider providing security guarantees to Finland and Sweden during the transition period until membership is confirmed.

Among other things, such assistance could take the form of increasing NATO’s presence in the region.

Stoltenberg has also said that Turkey is not currently blocking the accession of either Sweden or Finland, expressing confidence that a common language and common denominators will be found to move the accession negotiations forward. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has also expressed strong support for this view.

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