Austria does not intend to join NATO In Sweden, Finland’s Wake – Chancellor
Austria has no plans to follow Sweden and Finland when they join NATO, said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Monday
PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – July 19, 2022) Austria has no plans to follow Sweden and Finland when they join NATO, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Monday.
The official made this statement at a press conference in Vienna after a meeting with Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger, the Slovak newspaper Pravda reported. According to the media, Nehammer stated that Vienna does not intend to follow the example of Sweden and Finland, which have reconsidered their military neutrality in the middle of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and are now planning to join NATO.
There is “no such rhetoric in Austria”, said the Chancellor, adding that his country is still committed to the EU’s common security policy and plans to invest more in domestic defense capabilities.
In response, Heger noted that Slovakia, like other countries in the West, provides plenty of aid to Ukraine.
Finland and Sweden submitted membership applications to NATO in May, ending decades of neutrality in light of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Their candidacy for membership was initially blocked by Turkey, which accused them of supporting “terrorists”, citing the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey promised to raise its objections after the country’s leaders met in Madrid in June and agreed to address Ankara’s concerns.