“If not before Vilnius, why after,” he remarked interview for STT.
Both Finland and Sweden heard several encouraging statements about a smooth accession process last spring, he reminded, but the process has turned out to be very different. The bumpy road has not only caused headaches for the two aspiring member states.
“I see that this has already been a problem for NATO. Clearly, NATO countries are also surprised,” he said.
Turkey has been the focus of attention as one of the two remaining holdouts, with the decision ultimately left to the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. According to Niinistö, 28 NATO countries, which have already ratified the accession protocols, have expressed their position to abstain.
“I doubt that he will give in to any kind of public pressure under any circumstances. But if there is some kind of breakthrough in the bilateral talks between Turkey and the United States, it might have an impact,” he analyzed.
Niinistö saw that the new anti-terrorism laws to be enacted in June in Sweden could give Erdoğan the opportunity to state that the country has also implemented the changes agreed at the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022.
– As for the other aspects of the question, my position is that we proceed in agreement with Sweden, with the goal of membership as soon as possible for both Finland and Sweden, he said and refused to clarify. statement when asked if the accessions do not have to be simultaneous.
“I repeat the previous one,” Niinistö answered.
Niinistö also refrained from interfering in the parliamentary process related to accession and expressed reservations about deliberately delaying accession after receiving the parliament’s decision, a possibility that has been presented as a way to ensure the simultaneous accession of Finland and Sweden. .
Using the president’s right to delay the implementation of the law would be “highly unusual,” he said.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page
