Sweden confirms that it will apply to join NATO with special conditions

On May 15, Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party announced its support for the attempt to become a member NATO country, following a similar move by the Finnish government.

In a statement released on May 15, the Social Democrats pledged to “work to get Sweden registered as a member of NATO”. However, the party leadership stressed that if the application is successful, Sweden will “resist the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish territory”.

Finland and Sweden decided to revisit their longstanding policy of neutrality and non-alignment after Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine. According to recent polls, a majority in both countries support NATO membership.

Goverment Finland May 15 also announced it would apply to join NATO, giving up decades of wartime neutrality.

CNN reported that on May 15, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö held a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, announcing that Finland would apply to join NATO. The move must be approved by the Finnish parliament before Helsinki can apply for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The move would bring the US-led military alliance to Finland’s 1,340km border with Russia, but could take months to complete due to the legislatures of all 30 current NATO members. must approve new applicants.

The move also risks provoking a Russian response. Russian President Vladimir Putin In a May 14 phone call with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Finland’s entry into NATO would be a “mistake”, according to a Kremlin statement.

Turkey has previously expressed its opposition to Finland and Sweden’s intention to join NATO, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling the two Nordic countries “a haven for terrorist organisations”. , referring to the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front (DHKP/C), which Turkey considers “terrorists”.

However, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said he was sure that the bloc would be able to overcome Turkey’s reservations.

At the beginning of April, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said that NATO “would warmly welcome” Finland and Sweden if the two countries applied to join, and was ready to make a decision on membership “quite quickly”. .

Both countries have met many of the criteria for NATO membership, including having a democratic political system based on a market economy; fair treatment of ethnic minority groups; commitment to resolving conflicts peacefully; ability and willingness to contribute militarily to NATO operations; and commitment to the implementation of military-democratic relations and institutions.