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Finland-Sweden to apply for NATO membership tomorrow, while Turkey threatens with veto

Finland and Sweden are expected to formally apply for NATO membership tomorrow, while Turkey continues to threaten with a veto, according to well-informed sources who spoke to APE-MPE.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will meet tomorrow at 9 am (Greek time) with Finnish Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen and Swedish Ambassador to the Alliance Axel Wernhoff.

NATO’s North Atlantic Council met today at ambassadorial level to consider signing the accession protocol of the two Nordic countries as soon as possible. According to sources who spoke to APE-MPE, all NATO member states are ready to welcome “with open arms” Finland and Sweden, except Turkey, which today insisted that accession talks could not begin tomorrow. procedures because its security concerns have not been addressed.

At the same time, the 29 NATO member states are in favor of a concise accession process for the two Nordic countries, with the aim of signing the accession protocol by mid-June, so that they can participate in the summit as “observer countries”. of NATO at the end of June. For this to happen, Turkey will have to sit down at the negotiating table with the two countries concerned (Finland and Sweden) and find a solution within two weeks. Ankara’s concerns could be allayed by a statement from Sweden and Finland on a change of attitude towards the Syrian Kurds and the PKK, as well as the lifting of the arms embargo.

According to well-informed sources who spoke to APE-MPE, several NATO countries have exercised today and will continue to put pressure on Ankara to find a solution. However, everyone knows that this will depend on the intentions of the Turkish president and whether he will ask for further compensation from other NATO countries or even the EU.

The more Turkey objects, the more Finland and Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance will be delayed, increasing their frustration and potential risks because they are not under the “shield” of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. For this reason, many allied countries, including Norway, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, have already rushed to give security guarantees to the two Nordic countries, as long as they are on the threshold of NATO.

Source: AMPE

Source: Capital

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