On Tuesday, 18 May, Finland and Sweden officially submitted NATO membership requests.
Ambassadors of both countries submitted requests to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the alliance’s main headquarters in Brussels.
«This is a historic moment. Our allies will now work on the next steps on your path to joining NATO,» said Stoltenberg.
For a long time Finland and Sweden have refrained from joining the alliance. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drastically changed the security situation in Europe. This is why the opinion of both politicians and residents of those countries has shifted in favour of joining NATO.
The alliance’s member states are positive about including Finland and Sweden. Only Turkey has voiced objection, accusing both countries of providing asylum to Kurdish militants who fought the Turkish government.
«The security interests of all allies have to be taken into account and we are determined to work though all issues and reach rapid conclusions,» said the NATO secretary general.
«All allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement. We all agree that we must stand together and we all agree that this is a historic moment which we must seize,» added Stontenberg.
Finland, Sweden and western allies hope Turkey’s objections will be overcome.
It is expected that ambassadors of NATO member states will review both countries’ applications and approve the start of official membership talks.
Multiple NATO member states, Britain included, have offered Finland and Sweden security guarantees during the review of their applications.
There are currently 30 member states in the military alliance founded in 1949.