” One for all! All for one. » Joe Biden summoned the maxim of the musketeers to welcome the candidacy of Sweden and Finland to NATO. Receiving, Thursday, May 19, the Swedish Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, and the Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, the American President assured them of the “full, total and complete support” from his country. He expressed the wish that this double candidacy, which he constantly encouraged, be validated ” as quickly as possible “ in the United States Senate, once the accession protocol has been adopted within NATO. But this moment of transatlantic rejoicing, which was to illustrate the unity of the Alliance and its power of attraction, reinforced by the war in Ukraine, is spoiled by Turkey.
Word “historical”, used several times by the three leaders on Thursday, is not overused, especially since no one would have anticipated such an enlargement of NATO four months ago. Joe Biden warmly praised the merits of the two guest countries, which have both “strong democratic institutions” et “strong armies”, having already taken part in Alliance missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. On the other hand, he made no reference to Turkey.
However, the official registration of the two candidacies with NATO, on May 18, was not unanimously accepted. Ankara expressed its reservations, as it stands, and set conditions. Despite this major annoyance, American officials display a form of detachment and optimism bordering on denial.
“We are confident that ultimately Finland and Sweden will have an effective and efficient accession process and that Turkey’s concerns can be addressed,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday. The latter expects, he says, that NATO speaks “with one voice”ultimately. “We are open to discussing any concerns Turkey may have,” said Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Thursday.
Security solidarity with Russia
As of now, the United States is working with Finland and Sweden to prevent or respond to external aggression, officials say. A way of displaying security solidarity with Russia, while waiting for Article 5 of the Atlantic Alliance Treaty to apply, once membership has been acquired. By these symbolic rather than operational remarks, Washington wants to show that the course of history cannot be deflected.
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