Top row
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “the door is open” for Finland and Sweden to join NATO after reaching an agreement with Turkey to lift the blockade of the two Scandinavian countries, despite threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Left) shakes hands with Sweden’s NATO Ambassador Axel … [+]
Key facts
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed to lift the country’s blockade of the Nordic countries’ entry into the alliance on Tuesday afternoon, a month after the countries submitted formal applications to join the alliance with 30 countries, Stoltenberg said at a press conference on Tuesday.
in Stoltenberg The addition of the two Baltic countries “will change the whole security situation in the Baltic region”, and says that it would help not only Finland and Sweden, but the whole alliance.
The next step is for NATO member states to vote on whether Finland and Sweden can join the alliance, Stoltenberg said.
The announcement comes a month after Finland and Sweden submitted formal offers to join NATO, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat of “consequences” – including a possible nuclear response – if the two countries join NATO.
Further reading
Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid have “complete backing” from the US, says Biden (Forbes)
Sweden formally requests to join NATO when the Finnish Parliament supports the bid – here’s what to look for next (Forbes)
“Historical moment”: Finland and Sweden submit applications to join NATO (Forbes)