The US about Sweden, Finland’s candidacy for NATO
United States said about Sweden’s and Finland’s candidacies to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that the two Nordic countries are ready and should be added to the world’s strongest defense alliance as soon as possible.
Spokesman for the US State Department during a press conference on Tuesday Down Price said that the US has been very clear with its views on Finland’s and Sweden’s candidacies for NATO membership both publicly and privately.
“The issue of Sweden and Finland is not a bilateral issue. We have been very clear in public, and we have been very clear in private with our view on Finland and Sweden’s candidatures for NATO membership. We believe they are ready, we believe they should be added to the world’s strongest defense alliance at the earliest,” he said.
In response to a media question about Finland and Sweden returning to a working dialogue on NATO membership, the US State Department spokesperson said the US will continue to express its support for the candidacy of the two Nordic countries.
“We can continue to express our support for their candidacies. We can continue to engage publicly and privately with Turkey and make it clear that we believe these two countries are ready. That they are prepared, that they should be admitted to the alliance at all possible occasions,” Price added.
Sweden and Finland have jointly applied to join NATO, but Turkey has so far blocked the expansion, citing concerns that Sweden would have to crack down on exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers and extradite critics of Turkey’s president. Erdoganreported Euronews.
Sweden and Finland’s joint bid to join NATO requires the approval of all existing members, including Turkey. So far, the two countries have committed to join the alliance together.
Additionally, the US State Department spokesperson also spoke at length on the issue of the burning of the Koran in Stockholm, Sweden.
The US State Department spokesperson described the incident as reprehensible and repugnant and said that no one in this administration expresses any degree of support for this heinous act that took place.
Calling Sweden a “living democracy”, he further added, “The reason something like this could happen is precisely because Sweden upholds freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and when you give people those freedoms you protect those freedoms, sometimes they make terrible decisions. . They do terrible things.”
HT
Source: ANI