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Brussels—NATO’s 30 allies signed the Finnish and Swedish accession protocols on Tuesday, and once Parliament ratified the decision, they were able to join the nuclear armament alliance. This is the most important expansion of the alliance since the 1990s.
The signing at NATO headquarters follows the agreement with Turkey at the NATO summit in Madrid last week, and Ankara is guaranteed to do more to fight terrorism in the North Atlantic. The veto of NATO’s accession bid has been lifted.
“This is a truly historic moment,” NATO Secretary-General Jason Stoltenberg said with the Foreign Ministers of both countries. “We will be even stronger as there are 32 countries around the table.”
This Protocol means that Helsinki and Stockholm will be able to attend NATO meetings and gain access to information, but until ratification, NATO’s defense clause (attacks on one ally will be on all allies). Not protected by (attack). It can take up to a year.
It was at the Allied Summit in 1997 in Madrid that Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic were invited to participate in the first wave of several waves of NATO’s eastern expansion. This was considered a Western achievement, but it made Russia angry.
Moscow has repeatedly warned both countries about joining NATO. On March 12, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “There will be serious military and political implications.”
Stoltenberg urged allies to quickly ratify and guarantee NATO’s support to the two Nordic countries.
“The security of Finland and Sweden is important to our alliance, including during the ratification process,” he said.
“Many allies have already made a clear commitment to the security of Finland and Sweden, and NATO is increasing our presence in the region, including more exercises.”
Turkey warning
NATO’s ambassador and Stoltenberg stood together for a photo with a protocol signed before the Swedish and Finnish foreign ministers were applauded.
“Thank you for your support! Now the ratification process by each ally is about to begin,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Twitter.
However, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned at a NATO summit last Thursday that Finland and Sweden must first keep their promises to Turkey.
After a few weeks of diplomacy, Prime Minister Erdogan and his Finnish and Swedish counterparts agreed on measures to allow two Scandinavian countries to overcome Turkey’s veto in May due to concerns over terrorism. did.
According to the signed memorandum, Finland and Sweden will not support a group of Kurdish militants PKK and YPG, or a network of U.S.-based priests Fetofuller Gulen, which Ankara has named a terrorist organization. I promised.
By Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold
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