Sweden and Finland will apply to join NATO on Wednesday.
Sweden and Finland will apply to join NATO on Wednesday.
AwesomeProf
Finland and Sweden will submit their bids to join NATO together Wednesday, the two Nordic countries announced, despite Turkey’s threat to block the military alliance’s expansion.
“I’m happy we have taken the same path and we can do it together,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Tuesday during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden have been rattled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Their applications will jettison decades of military non-alignment to join the alliance as a defence against feared aggression from Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Monday that NATO's expansion could prompt Moscow to respond.
Despite NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's repeated assurances that the two countries would be welcomed "with open arms," the greatest impediment to their membership comes from within the organization.
Turkey has accused Sweden and Finland of functioning as terrorist hotbeds, and its president has stated that Ankara will not permit growth.
"Those (countries) who apply sanctions to Turkey to join NATO will not have our yes," Erdogan said Monday, adding that "none of the countries has a clear attitude against terror organizations."
According to AFP, Turkey rejected a NATO declaration supporting Sweden and Finland's admission on Monday.
Delegations from Sweden and Finland have traveled to Turkey to speak with Turkish officials.
"Sweden is glad to work with Turkey in NATO, and this cooperation can be part of our bilateral relations," Andersson said, adding that Stockholm is "dedicated to fighting all forms of terrorism."
