The Diplomat
The Government of Spain yesterday expressed its support for the decision of Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership, the result of “a calm and responsible evaluation” after the Russian invasion in Ukraine, and assured that it will promote the “prompt ratification” in the Spanish Parliament of the instruments of accession.
“The Government of Spain supports the decision of the Governments of Finland and Sweden to apply for accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the fruit of a profound debate of their political and social forces and of a serene and responsible evaluation of the situation of the security architecture in Europe following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“The accession of Finland and Sweden, two consolidated democracies, will strengthen NATO, an alliance of democracies that share values and principles, the foundations of a rules-based international order,” it continued. “The Government of Spain will promote, in close consultation with the parliamentary forces, an early ratification by the Spanish Parliament of the instruments of accession and will respond in solidarity to the security challenges during the period between the signatures of the accession and its ratification by the thirty allied states, also taking into account the provisions of Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union,” it added.
Finland and Sweden formally informed of their intention to join NATO during the meeting of the European Union defense ministers held yesterday in Brussels at the initiative of the High Representative, Josep Borrell, and whose central theme was the analysis of the impact that the recently approved Strategic Compass will have on the capabilities and operations of the European Union.
During the meeting – in which the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoana, and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, participated via videoconference – the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, assured that one of the priorities of the Presidency of the Council of the Union, in the second semester in 2023, will be to advance in the materialization of the objectives of the Compass, especially the Rapid Deployment Capability, which will allow Europe to have a military crisis response force of about 5. 5,000 troops.
She also cautioned that it remains “imperative to continue to support Ukraine politically, humanitarian and militarily” and expressed his “welcome for the Finnish and Swedish initiative to join the Atlantic Alliance.”
In the margins of the meeting, the Minister of Defense met with her Estonian counterpart, Kalle Laanet, with whom she exchanged views on the reinforcement of the Atlantic Alliance on the Eastern Flank. “Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, Spain has been contributing, together with the other allies, to the increase of the military presence in the region in the land, naval and air spheres,” the Ministry of Defense indicated.
