The Diplomat
Spain signed yesterday, after authorization by the Council of Ministers, the protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty supporting the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO.
According to the Government, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has substantially changed the European security context.” “The Nordic region is one of the main regions affected by the disruption of geostrategic balances,” which is why, it continued, “the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden have decided to reorient their security and defense policy by applying for NATO membership last May 17.” “NATO membership for both the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden will increase the security of both states and, in turn, Finland and Sweden will be an added value for the other allies,” it added.
Sweden and Finland also signed their accession protocol in Brussels yesterday, making them ‘de facto’ NATO members pending formal ratification. The 30 allied states also signed yesterday, at ambassadorial level, the protocols endorsing the accession of the two countries. Once this step is passed, the protocols will have to be ratified by all 30 allied countries, in a process that will take several months and will conclude with the formal entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO after all members notify the U.S. Government, which acts as depositary, of their acceptance.
“This is a historic day for Finland, Sweden, NATO and Euro-Atlantic security,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday during a joint press conference with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The accession of the two Nordic countries was made possible during the recent NATO Summit in Madrid, after Turkey agreed to lift its veto on both countries in exchange for certain commitments in the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
