For their way into NATO, Finland and Sweden still need the yes from Ankara. During a visit to Helsinki, Foreign Minister Baerbock made it clear that the accessions should be implemented without delay.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is pushing for Finland and Sweden to be quickly admitted to NATO. “At the NATO summit in Madrid last summer, we jointly laid the foundation for accession. And of course we expect all NATO members to implement this decision without further delay,” said the Green politician during a visit to Helsinki with a view to the blockade of Turkey.
Hungary has not yet given its consent either. All currently 30 NATO members must agree to the expansion. Germany is promoting Finland and Sweden to become members of the western military alliance, said Baerbock. Both met the agreed requirements. The minister also referred to a memorandum on which the two NATO candidates and Turkey had agreed in Madrid. The dispute seemed resolved at the time, the way clear. But Turkey is still blocking the alliance’s northern expansion.
In response to the burning of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently threatened that Sweden could not count on Turkish support for its NATO application. He was more open to Finland. The fact that elections are due in Turkey in May also plays a role in the dispute.
Baerbock: Accession “enriching for the alliance”
Baerbock is visiting northern Europe for two days – first in Helsinki, then on Tuesday in Stockholm. After a conversation with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, she emphasized how historic the decision by the northern Europeans to join NATO after a long period of freedom from alliances was – and how advantageous it was for Germany and the other alliance partners.
“So today I want to reiterate how enriching it is for the alliance that you want to join NATO,” she said to the hosts. “As a result, our alliance gains two valuable new members with whom we already work very, very closely.”
Turkish blockade continues
Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022 under the impression of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. All members must ratify accession. 28 have already done so. Hungarian objections are not expected. Turkey, on the other hand, has been blocking for a long time. Erdogan also justifies this by saying that Sweden is not taking sufficient action against terrorist organizations. Above all, he means the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK.
A debate is now underway in Finland as to whether or not to wait for Sweden should Turkey’s objections drag on. Baerbock hopes that both will join at the same time. “Both countries applied for membership together and that’s why I think it makes sense and is right for both countries to become members together.” There is another NATO summit in July, then in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius.
Finland has a 1340 km border with Russia. That doesn’t make the situation any easier for the EU’s northernmost country: on the one hand, it repeatedly shows its support for Ukraine with military aid, and on the other, it pays close attention to its own security.
Tanks for Ukraine? No “final decision” from Helsinki yet
This is also reflected in the discussion about the delivery of Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. Finland has around 200 and has signaled readiness for delivery. But a decision has been dragging on for a long time. “The Finnish government has not yet made the final decision,” said Haavisto.
Meanwhile, in Stockholm, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki expressed hope that more countries would join the Leopard coalition. He hopes that Sweden will also be able to do this, he said at a press conference with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Kristersson pointed out that Sweden had already delivered an artillery system and armored personnel carriers.
Source: Stern
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