The application must now be weighed by 30 member countries. The process is expected to take about two weeks, although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed objections about Finland and Sweden to join.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Finland, Sweden had officially applied to join the world’s largest military alliance, a step driven by security issues over the Russian War in Ukraine.
I warmly welcomed the request by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partner, “Stoltenberg told reporters after receiving their application letter from two Nordic Ambassadors. “This is a good day at a critical time for our safety.”
The application must now be weighed by 30 member countries. The process is expected to take about two weeks, although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed objections about Finland and Sweden to join.
If the objection is overcome, and the accession talks go as well as expected, both of them can become members in a few months. The process usually takes eight to 12 months, but NATO wants to move quickly considering the threat from Russia hanging over the heads of Nordic countries.
Canada, for example, said that they expect to ratify their accession protocols in just a few days.
Stoltenberg said that the NATO allies were “determined to overcome all problems and reach fast conclusions.”
All allies agreed on the importance of NATO enlargement. We all agree that we must stand together, and we all agree that this is a historic moment that we must get, “he told reporters at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Public opinion in Finland and Sweden has shifted massively by membership since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Finland and Sweden work closely with NATO. They have a functioning democracy, the armed forces that are well funded and contribute to the military operations of alliances and air policies. Every obstacle they face will only be technical, or maybe politics.
The NATO membership process is not formalized, and the steps can vary. But the first time their request to join will be examined in sitting on the North Atlantic Council (NAC) from 30 member countries, perhaps at the ambassador level.
NAC will decide whether to move towards membership and what steps should be taken to achieve it. This mostly depends on how well the candidate countries are with political, military and legal standards, and whether they contribute to security in the North Atlantic region. This should not cause big problems for Finland and Sweden.
