The United States is ready to discuss with Finland and Sweden the prospect of their joining NATO, provided that these countries express a corresponding desire. This was during a briefing on Tuesday, January 11, said the US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. The broadcast was conducted in Twitter State Department.
“I believe five administrations [США], in which I worked, always said to Finland and Sweden: “Any time you want to discuss with us [ваше] membership [в альянсе], we are ready to do it, ”she said.
According to her, Finland and Sweden, like any other country that has expressed a desire to join NATO, will be assessed “according to the high standards” of the North Atlantic Alliance.
At the same time, the Deputy Secretary of State stressed that stable democracy is characteristic of the two states, therefore, the conversation about joining NATO will be different than with those countries that are in a state of “transition to a democratic system” and are dealing with serious problems – “corruption, economic reforms, [низкой] stability of democracy ”.
Sweden and Finland are not members of the alliance and work with this organization as partner states.
Earlier, on January 10, as reported by Mariestads Tidningen, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson noted during a press conference that the country’s government did not intend to change its foreign policy and declare the need to join NATO.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin during the New Year’s address to citizens said that the country still has the opportunity to apply for NATO membership. President Sauli Niiniste also recalled such an opportunity during the New Year’s greetings.
During his speech, the Finnish leader also assessed Russia’s proposals to the United States and NATO on security guarantees, pointing out that they allegedly contradict the existing security order in Europe. According to him, the concern is caused by Moscow’s desire to stop the expansion of the alliance.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
