Sweden signs NATO request, Finland formally approves the move
STOCKHOLM (AP) – The Finnish Parliament has overwhelmingly approved an offer from the Nordic country’s government to join NATO.
Legislators at the Eduskunta legislature with 200 seats voted on Tuesday 188-8 to approve Finland’s application for membership in the Western military alliance with 30 members.
The vote was seen as a formality when Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced their intention on Sunday, and legislators’ approval was not necessarily required. Both Niniisto and Marin emphasized, however, that it was important for Parliament to consider NATO’s bid, which was described by the Finnish head of state as “historic”.
Finland is now expected to sign a formal application and submit it to NATO headquarters in the coming days, together with its Nordic neighbor Sweden, where the government announced a similar NATO bid on Monday.
If Finland joins NATO, it will be the largest defense and security policy change in the nation’s history with 5.5 million since World War II, after which it adopted a policy of military freedom of alliance and neutrality. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, fought two wars against Moscow during World War II and lost about 10% of its territory.
THIS IS AN UPDATE OF NEWS. The AP’s previous history follows below.
STOCKHOLM (AP) – On Tuesday, Sweden signed a formal request to join NATO, a day after the country announced that it would apply for membership in the military alliance with 30 members. In neighboring Finland, legislators are expected to formally approve the decision of Finnish leaders to join later in the day.
The moves of the two Nordic countries, which ended Sweden’s more than 200 years of military alliance freedom and Finland’s freedom of alliance after World War II, have angered the Kremlin.
While most NATO members are keen to welcome the two countries as soon as possible, Turkey has potentially complicated their accession by saying that it can not allow them to become members because of their perceived passivity against Kurdish militants in exile.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doubled his comments last week, which indicated that the two Nordic countries’ path to NATO would be anything but smooth. All 30 current NATO countries must agree to open the door to new members. He accused the two Nordic countries of refusing to extradite “terrorists” wanted by his country.
In Stockholm, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed the formal request to join the alliance, which she said would be sent to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
“It feels like we have made a decision that is the best for Sweden,” she said when she signed the document.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto arrived in Sweden for an official two-day visit and was welcomed by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, who had invited him. Niinisto spoke to the Swedish Parliament and said, “we took peace for granted; on February 24, the peace was broken “, referring to the date when Ukraine was invaded by Russia.
“Our old ways of handling things are no longer in line with the new situation,” Niinisto told Swedish lawmakers. “Our relations with Russia have changed.”
He also spoke of Erdogan’s comments, saying they were “surprising and interesting.”
“Turkey’s statements have changed and hardened very quickly in recent days, but I am sure we will resolve the situation with the help of constructive talks,” Niinisto said.
He will later meet Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
On Twitter, Niinisto said that “the timing is excellent, a strong and stable Nordic region is our common cause.”
During a short press conference, Carl XVI Gustaf said that “the visit is characterized by the serious situation in our vicinity.” Niinisto added that “our security policy line has long been similar and even now, when the situation demands it, we are taking our steps together.”