The way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO – Europe – International
Russia last week condemned efforts by the West to include Finland and Sweden in NATOcountries known for their neutrality, and warned of the serious consequences that the entry of these countries would have.
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It is clear that Finland’s and Sweden’s entry into NATO, which is above all a military bloc, would have serious political-military consequences.s, which would require a response from our country, “said Maria Zajárova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, at a news conference.
The representative of Russian diplomacy pointed out that Moscow is aware of “the directed efforts of NATO and some member states in the bloc, especially the United States, which aim to include Finland and also Sweden in the alliance.”
However, both countries have reiterated their intention to join the alliance in recent hours.
What are the arguments of Finland and Sweden?
On Monday, Sweden called for not to ignore the risk of a “real use of nuclear weapons” in the face of the deteriorating security situation in Europe due to the war that Russia launched against Ukraine, a concern that Finland joined during the intervention of both countries at the UN. disarmament conference.
– In the face of the current security situation, the risk of a new nuclear arms race or actual use of nuclear weapons cannot be ignored, says Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
“Nuclear weapons are a risk to all nations and a detonation would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences. It is in our common interest to reduce the risk of any intentional or unintentional use of nuclear weapons,” said Finnish Arms Control Ambassador Jarmo Viinanen.
Both attended Geneva at a meeting of the UN Conference on Disarmament, the only international forum to address this issue and where historical agreements had previously been negotiated to curb the proliferation of weapons.
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However, the work of this body has been stalled for a decade due to the fact that the Member States have not been able to agree on a work program.
Sweden and Finland are not members of NATO, the transatlantic security alliance, but in connection with the war in Ukraine, they have confirmed that the decision to join this club or not just depends on themselves, after threats of “economic repercussions”. and serious policies ”that Russia has stated if it were to choose this path.
Both countries said that despite the problems that the Conference on Disarmament suffers from, it would be the ideal body to seek global solutions to the risks of a new arms race and to promote a reduction in the risk of nuclear power.
What is the position of the citizens?
Stockholm and Helsinki have currently ruled out the hypothesis of an urgent request to join the Atlantic Alliance, but never before have the two countries been so close to taking that step, according to analysts.
“Everything is possible at the moment, and the signal from the NATO countries is that accession could be handled very quickly, therefore, I believe that it is only a political decision of Stockholm and Helsinki “, summed up Zebulon Carlander, analyst at the organization Société et Défense (Society and Defense).
The two countries have been officially non-aligned, although NATO partners since the mid-1990s, after turning a blind eye to their neutrality at the end of the Cold War. On Tuesday afternoon, the Finnish Parliament will debate a request to hold a referendum on NATO membership.
In less than a week, the inquiry collected the 50,000 signatures needed to enter Eduskunta. The Social Democratic Prime Minister Sanna Marin emphasized at the beginning of the legislative debate that it was not a matter of discussing accession, but that the political context suddenly changed.
for the first time, uAn absolute majority (53%) of Finns support joining the alliance, according to a survey released on Monday. The number of followers almost doubled in a few weeks, from 28% in January. The Finnish party that opposed joining NATO fell to 28%, with 19% insecure, according to a public television survey Yle.
“It is a historic and exceptional result,” he said AFP Charly Salonius-Pasternak, researcher at the Institute of International Affairs, who hopes that the support will remain at a high level for a long time.
Also in Sweden, there has never been more popular support for joining NATO, with 41% for, 35% against and 24% insecure, according to a survey from Novus Institute which was published on Friday by national television.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With Efe and AFP
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