Finland and Sweden join to make the Baltic “a sea of ​​NATO”

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that the country accepts Finland and Sweden join NATO. Latvia’s foreign minister said that the joining of the two Nordic countries to the alliance would turn the Baltic Sea into “a sea of ​​NATO”.

In an interview today with the Financial Times on May 13 with his counterparts in Estonia and Lithuania (Lithuania), Foreign Minister Rinkevics expressed his expectation for the approval of the two Nordic countries’ applications to join NATO.

The foreign ministers of the three Baltic states of the former Soviet Union also believe that the NATO military alliance will benefit from the military strength of Finland and Sweden, especially the fleet of Finnish fighters.

Along with supporting Russia’s neighbors to join NATO, Foreign Minister Rinkevics also hopes to have more NATO troops in Latvia.

Making the Baltic a NATO asset “doesn’t change our requirements for NATO’s increase in the Baltic region,” the Latvian foreign minister said.

He also noted that “there are still many problems to be solved” and that “the current security situation requires bolder plans by the alliance”.

While NATO sent in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania 1,000 troops each from European member states earlier this year, they still demanded more, calling for brigades of 3,000 to 5,000 troops and upgrade the air defense system to be able to shoot down enemy aircraft in case of fluctuations.

Before the war Ukrainethe Baltic states are concerned about Suwalki, a border area about 65 km between Poland and Lithuania, located between Belarus and the Russian province of Kaliningrad.

All three of these NATO countries are said to have increased defense spending by 2.5% of GDP, well above NATO’s 2% requirement.

On May 12, Russia warned that Finland’s accession to NATO would pose a direct threat and lead to a reaction from the country. Finland shares a 1,340 km land border with Russia. This Nordic country has announced its official plan to join NATO, as early as May 16.

Sweden is reportedly planning to formally apply to join NATO next week.