Finland and Sweden start with NATO application – Organization for World Peace
Finland and Sweden have reportedly decided to join NATO in early May in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine. Finland’s EU minister said they were “highly likely” to join NATO at a news conference last week. Sweden’s government party has made it clear that they will follow their lead. Their official application will be submitted in June, with US officials showing support. In order for the countries to be approved, they need a unanimous vote from all 30 NATO members.
As Russia’s neighbors, Finland and Sweden have previously been cautious about joining NATO when there were no clear outlines of the group’s intentions. They believed that military neutrality was the best way to maintain national security. But Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin noted that “everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine”, as it was a major breach in their sense of security with Russia as they share an 830 km (1,335 km) border. Citizens of both countries have been opposed to joining NATO in the past, but in the past month there have been a record number of people in favor of membership.
If Finland and Sweden were to join, they would reportedly have an increased number of American troops in the Nordic countries, intelligence co-operation and an increased presence of NATO ships in the Baltic Sea.
However, there are significant disadvantages and security problems with the countries that join NATO, as the Russian Foreign Minister’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explicitly said after the invasion that “if Finland and Sweden join NATO, it will have serious military policy consequences that would require an adequate response. from the Russian side. ” With this threatening statement, the reaction can vary in severity and jeopardize all countries involved in NATO.
It is quite a political statement for these two countries to join NATO at this time, but it is the right thing to do in seeking to maintain a standard of human rights. In order to continue to put pressure on Russia to end its attacks on Ukraine, several paths of stress are needed, especially from those who have previously shown solidarity. With that said, it is important to look at the security and safety risks for its citizens if Russia were to strike at either Finland or Sweden. Both countries will need to carefully analyze their decisions, with the greater goal of promoting international human rights and taking a stand against the major injustices that are taking place.
In the future, several meetings will be held between the country’s officials in May to complete their motivations and goals of joining NATO before submitting an application.