The bloc will “warmly” welcome it and co-seek Finland, the NATO chief promised
The Swedish government is expected to resolve all disagreements over NATO membership by the end of the week and send its application on Monday, the same day as Finland, local media said on Thursday, citing sources. Earlier on Thursday, the Finnish leadership approved joining the US-led military bloc.
According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, a series of official meetings will culminate at the beginning of next week in a formal request from Sweden to become a NATO ally.
The ruling Social Democrats will hold a virtual meeting later on Thursday to discuss the issue. On Friday morning, the minority government and parties that passively support it in parliament will present to the public a generally favorable view of joining the alliance, the newspaper states. Unlike in Finland, there is no direct application for membership. This is to address reservations that some people in the left and the Greens have, the report says. This is followed by a Social Democratic leadership meeting on Sunday.
The key moment comes on Monday, when a parliamentary debate will be held on the issue. Provided that the legislator supports the move, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will issue a formal request later the same day, the sources state.
Earlier on Thursday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made a joint statement saying they believe Finland should join NATO. The nation’s parliament is expected to approve the decision on Monday, with a formal request to be issued on the same day.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that the US-led organization would be keen to include both nations and would speed up the accession process. All 30 current member states must approve any additions before they are completed.
“If they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed and I expect the process to go quickly.” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels and added that arrangements would be made to defend the applicants during the interim period.
A source quoted by the Russian news agency TASS said that NATO could offer Finland and Sweden a membership action plan (MAP) as soon as the end of June. The formal process usually takes years, from receipt of the invitation to full accession.
However, the two nations will be considered high-priority candidates, already closely integrated with NATO’s political and military infrastructure, so they would be prompt to join, the diplomat predicted.
Both Sweden and Finland remained non-aligned during the Cold War, which allowed them to serve as intermediaries between the rival ideological blocs. The effort to include them in NATO gained momentum after Russia’s offensive against Ukraine.
Moscow said that NATO’s insidious expansion into Ukraine was a major threat to its national security and one of the reasons for its actions in Ukraine. It warned Sweden and Finland that they would jeopardize their security, rather than improve it, by joining the alliance.
Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, which were first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s final recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. The German- and French-mediated protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kyiv insists that the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied allegations that it planned to retake the two republics by force.
Source: sn.dk