Sweden, Finland to apply for NATO membership together in May: Reports
On Monday, the Swedish newspaper Expressen confirmed the Finnish media’s information that Sweden and Finland are preparing to jointly apply to NATO on 16-20 May.
On Monday, the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that Finland’s and Sweden’s applications to NATO should be published in the week beginning May 16. A state visit by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto to Sweden at the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is planned for the same week, 17-18 May.
“The information is correct and now there must be an agreement between Sweden and Finland that any applications must be submitted that week. [week 20], which also coincides with Finland’s state visit to Sweden. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto arrives in Stockholm on May 17-18, ”Expressen reports, citing sources.
Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia had warned Sweden and Finland of the consequences of joining NATO.
Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which began on February 24, led to an extensive debate in both Finland and Sweden on NATO membership, in which the two countries considered the possibility of abandoning years of neutrality and joining the military bloc. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previously said that the alliance welcomes Finland and Sweden and would ensure their speedy accession if they choose to apply.
(Only the title and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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