Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Highlight
- Sweden, Finland call for NATO membership
- The move was not welcomed by Russia, who said they should be prepared to retaliate.
- Turkey, also a NATO member, is against both Nordic countries seeking membership.
Sweden on Monday decided to join neighboring Finland in seeking NATO membership, ending more than two centuries of military non-alignment in a historic shift inspired by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The move was strongly objected to by Turkey, with a key NATO member declaring that the two countries should not be allowed to join because they are too lax in taking action against Kurdish terrorists.
Countries can join NATO only if all existing members agree.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson warned the Nordic country would be in a “vulnerable position” during the application period and urged its fellow citizens to prepare themselves for the Russian response.
“Russia has said it will retaliate if we join NATO,” she said.
“We cannot rule out that Sweden, for example, will be exposed to propaganda and attempts to intimidate and divide us.”
Sweden’s move came a day after the country’s governing Social Democratic Party backed Sweden’s plan to join the Trans-Atlantic Alliance, and Finland’s government announced it wanted to join NATO.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday raised his objection to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, accusing the countries of failing to take a “clear” stand against Kurdish militants and other groups his country considers terrorists, and accuses the military of imposing sanctions. turkey.
Erdogan also accused both countries of refusing to extradite “terrorists” wanted by his country.
“No country has an open, clear stance against terrorist organizations,” Erdogan said.
“During this process, we cannot say ‘yes’ to those imposing sanctions on Turkey for joining NATO, which is a security organization.”
Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultquist told public broadcaster SVT that a Swedish delegation would be sent to Ankara to discuss the issue.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre (830 mi) border with Russia, and that Sweden should face consequences if it pursues NATO membership.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday appeared to underestimate the importance of his move.
Speaking to the Russian-led military coalition of six former Soviet states, Putin said Moscow had “no problem” with Sweden or Finland applying for NATO membership, but that “the expansion of military infrastructure in the region, Will certainly give rise to our reaction in response.
Andersen, who leads the centre-left Social Democrats, said Sweden would submit its NATO application jointly with Finland.
Backed by opposition leader Ulf Christerson, Andersen said his government was also preparing a bill that would allow Sweden to receive military aid from other countries in case of an attack.
“The Russian leadership thought they could threaten Ukraine and deprive them and other countries of self-determination,” Christerson said.
“They thought they could scare Sweden and Finland and create a rift between us and our neighbors and allies. They were wrong.”
Once a regional military power, Sweden has avoided military alliances since the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Like Finland, it remained neutral throughout the Cold War, but formed close ties with NATO after the 1991 Soviet collapse.
They no longer see themselves as neutral after joining the European Union in 1995, but have remained militarily non-aligned.
After remaining strongly against NATO membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, with a record level of support for joining the coalition.
The Swedish and Finnish governments quickly began discussions among political parties about NATO membership and reached out to the US, UK, Germany and other NATO countries for their support.
On Sunday, Andersen’s party reversed its long-standing position that Sweden should remain non-aligned, overwhelming support for NATO membership in parliament.
Only smaller Left and Green parties objected to the issue being discussed by MPs on Monday.
Left-wing leader Nushi Ddgostar, whose call for a referendum on the matter was rejected by the government, said joining NATO would increase tensions in the Baltic Sea region.
“It doesn’t help Ukraine,” she said.
Andersen said Sweden would make clear that it did not want nuclear weapons or permanent NATO bases on its soil – similar circumstances to neighboring Norway and Denmark that insisted on the formation of a coalition after World War II.
During a visit to Helsinki on Monday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said there is “very significant” support in Congress to welcome Finland and Sweden to the coalition and he expects ratification before the August recess.
In a joint statement, Nordic NATO members Norway, Denmark and Iceland said they stand ready to assist Finland and Sweden “with all necessary means” during the application process.
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