Sweden and Finland have decided to invoke the clause of the Treaty of the European Uniona, through which they can request a defense in case Russia decides to attack both countries, according to ‘The country‘. Both countries have transmitted this request to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
On the other hand, the aforementioned media indicates that in the letter, both Sweden and Finland request that at the next meeting of the 27 heads of state of the EU, to be held in Versailles (France), it be made clear that “EU membership is an important source of security” for the two Nordic countries. In addition, this meeting will also discuss the accession of Ukraine and the future of energy purchases after the veto imposed by the United States and the United Kingdom on the import of Russian oil and gas.
This demand has been included in the draft of the final communiqué of the summit where the heads of State and Government of the European Union will meet. In addition, community sources point out almost with total certainty that the 27 partners will accept that the promise of mutual aid is found in the Declaration of Versailles that is expected to be approved in this place.
Through a official statement, both countries have ratified the need for the requested mutual defense to be ratified. “EU leaders must be very united and clear about the fact that the EU is also a security community for its member states. The mutual defense clause is an essential part of this“, assure the two Prime Ministers of Sweden and Finland, Magdalena Andersson and Sanna Marin.
On the other hand, in the statement they defend the application of article 42, specifically the seventh point of the same, of the EU Treaty, which collects the following. “If a Member State is the object of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States will owe it help and assistance with all the means at their disposal, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. This is without prejudice to the specific nature of the security and defense policy of certain Member States.”
Sweden and Finland, NATO allies
Sweden and Finland, which belong to the European Union, are allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as does Ukraine. Both countries have collaborated with the North Atlantic organization in different military missions. After Russia demanded that the country presided over by Volodímir Zelenski not enter the Atlantic Alliance, the warning was extended to both the Swedish country and the Finnish country, with which it shares part of its border.
Was the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zajarova, who notified both countries. “All OSCE States reaffirmed the principle that the security of some States should not be built at the expense of the safety of others. It is clear that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO would have serious military and political consequences which would require our country take reciprocal measures,” exposed.
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