TIRANA, May 18 – Sweden and Finland have formally submitted their applications to join NATO but the alliance’s envoys failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday about whether to start membership talks with the two countries, diplomats said, as Turkey renewed its objections to the two Nordic countries joining.
The alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg said it was “a historic moment, which we must seize”, adding that the Nordic countries’ membership would increase shared security.
The two nations signaled their intention to apply for membership of the defense alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The envoys met at NATO headquarters in Brussels after Finland and Sweden’s ambassadors submitted written applications to join the military organization, in a move that marks one of the biggest geopolitical ramifications of Russia’s war on Ukraine — and which could rewrite Europe’s security map.
The diplomats, who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the proceedings, declined to say precisely who or what was holding up the procedure. Lithuanian Ambassador Deividas Matulionis told Swedish and Finnish media that the envoys had exchanged views about their national security. “The discussion was about that, but it is up to Turkey to comment,” he said.
All 30 members of the military alliance must agree on admitting new members.
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described Finland and Sweden as a “hatchery” for terror groups.
At the same time, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said both countries must provide explicit security guarantees and lift export bans on some defence sector goods to Turkey.
“Our stance is perfectly open and clear. This is not a threat — this is not a negotiation where we’re trying to leverage our interests,” Çavuşoğlu said.
/Argumentum.al
