Two European countries, Moldova and Sweden, have refused to join NATO despite the war in Ukraine.
Moldova has no plans to join the alliance, but wants EU membership, said Moldova’s Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita. On March 3, Moldovan President Sandu signed the country’s application for EU membership.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has flatly rejected calls from the opposition to consider joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to Andersson, an application for membership would now destabilize security in Europe, Reuters reported.
“The principle of neutrality is enshrined in our constitution. We will strive for EU membership, but we will not strive for NATO membership,” Gavrilita told Euronews.
According to Moldova’s constitution, the country has a neutral status, but since 1994 it has cooperated with the alliance as part of an individual partnership plan. The Pact Information Center operates in the capital of Moldova. In December 2017, a NATO Liaison Office was opened in Chisinau. Opinion polls show that more than 60% of the population opposes NATO membership.
“If Sweden chooses to apply for NATO membership in the current situation, it will further destabilize this region in Europe and increase tensions. All this time I have always made it clear that it is the best decision for Sweden’s security and for this region’s security. in Europe, it is my government’s long-term, consistent and predictable policy that has always been my conviction, says Andersson.
Sweden has not fought a war since 1814 and has based its foreign policy on non-participation in military alliances, but has in recent years established closer ties with NATO in the midst of escalating tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea region.
Moscow does not want Finland and Sweden to join the alliance and at the end of last month issued another warning that it would have “serious military policy consequences”.
Andersson spoke about a possible NATO membership after a meeting with the opposition party leader to discuss deteriorating security.
According to a survey on Friday by the agency Demoscope, commissioned by the newspaper Aftonbladet, 51% of Swedes are in favor of joining NATO, up from 42% in January. The proportion of people against decreases from 37 to 27 percent. For the first time in a study, those who are in favor of joining the North Atlantic Alliance are in the majority, Reuters states.
/ OFFNews
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Source: sn.dk