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Finnish Ambassador to NATO: It is difficult to say how much will be needed for the accession agreement

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership a month ago, on 18 May. “We have a relatively quick but decisive process in Finland, as of course in our neighboring country, Sweden,” Finnish Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen told APE-MPE.

“We have submitted the letter of interest, the letter of application, regarding the bid and we have been waiting for Finland and Sweden to be invited to the accession talks. NATO is not talking about negotiations, it is talking about accession talks,” Korhonen said. “the two letters together, we would expect the invitation to come at the same time and the accession talks would take place at more or less the same time frame.”

However, he said, the North Atlantic Council had not yet invited Finland and Sweden to join the accession talks, despite the fact that “we have received widespread support for our participation. NATO’s open door policy “.

Asked if he expects it to be a long process as there are still obstacles on the part of Turkey and if he feels that this transitional period is a bit dangerous for Finland he replied: “I have been involved in many negotiations during my career and of course it is difficult to “We will say how long it will take to resolve the remaining issues. But there is no reason why we should not be able to resolve them quickly, even before the NATO Summit in Madrid.”

“There is a view that Finland has now entered a different landscape and that is not true. We continue to have a strong defense, the basis of our foreign policy remains the same, we do not see any immediate threat against Finland. We are certainly not “We have not experienced any other irregular military incidents, no information campaign against us,” said Ambassador Korhonen.

On Ankara’s concerns, he said: “I can not talk about Turkey. Turkey is talking about itself. Turkey has expressed concerns about Sweden and Finland. These are being looked at very carefully in Finland. The main issue he raised Turkey is our commitment to the fight against terrorism, Finland of course condemns all its forms and manifestations, we implement EU and UN policies on terrorism and counter-terrorism, we understand that our anti-terrorism legislation is In my view, as a Finn, we do not see much cause for concern, but there are still questions that need to be addressed. There have been contacts between officials on all three sides, Turkey, Finland and “Sweden and I can say that the spirit was constructive. There is a clear disposition to find solutions.”

Klaus Korhonen also spoke of a “successful visit” by the NATO Secretary General to Finland. Asked about comments made by Secretary-General Stoltenberg during his visit to Turkey on “legitimate concerns”, he said: “I think he has made it clear that Turkey is a country that has suffered greatly from terrorism.”

Regarding the duration of the war in Ukraine, the Ambassador of Finland said that experts have said not to expect a very quick resolution of this conflict, unfortunately. In conclusion, we asked if the decisions of NATO, the EU and the sanctions of the allies could stop Putin.

“NATO has expressed its intention to strengthen its military presence in the eastern flank, including the Baltic Sea region, three Baltic states and Poland, and in south-eastern Europe. This is a matter of NATO’s own defense and preparedness. “. He also referred to the direct military assistance to Ukraine “carried out through national channels”. “NATO members and other countries, including Finland, are supporting Ukraine militarily. The countries are trying to coordinate. The EU has so far allocated € 2 billion in military aid to Ukraine. It is important. It has also approved the sixth package of sanctions. “It’s a strong political example. The message is very clear – and Russia feels it – that it is paying a heavy price for this aggression,” the Finnish ambassador to NATO said.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ

Source: Capital

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