NATO | NATO Secretary General believes that Finland’s application for membership will be processed quickly: “Russia has always protested, but NATO has nevertheless expanded”

Brussels

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Russia has opposed any enlargement of NATO in recent years.

“Nevertheless, NATO has almost doubled its membership since the end of the Cold War. Then there were 16 members, now there are 30. Enlargement has been a success story. ”

On Thursday, Stoltenberg met with Nordic journalists and answered HS’s question as to whether Russia could try to block Finland’s NATO application by starting some kind of conflict before the application was submitted. NATO does not admit countries with conflicts at their own borders or territories.

From Stoltenberg’s answer, it can be concluded that NATO is preparing to protest against Russia if Finland and Sweden submit a membership application together or separately. However, he did not answer directly whether Russia’s actions could prevent membership.

“When Norway, as one of its founding members, joined NATO in 1949, the Soviet Union opposed it as well and saw accession as a dangerous provocation. We were then the only NATO country to share a border with the Soviet Union. We were pleased when the other NATO countries at the time nevertheless welcomed Norway, ”says Norwegian Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg said he believed that NATO ‘s 30 members would warmly welcome Finland.

“I believe that we can make a decision on Finland’s membership quickly. The subsequent ratification process will take some months in different countries. ”

It can take from several months to up to a year for a member to accept or ratify a membership application.

During Stoltenberg’s term as Secretary General, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro have joined NATO.

“President Vladimir Putin Russia is protesting, but the two countries made their own decisions and were welcomed. ”

According to Stoltenberg, it is Finland’s and Sweden’s own decision whether to apply for membership together or separately. Both countries have worked closely with NATO for years, which, according to Stoltenberg, facilitates decision-making in NATO.

“Or maybe one is applying and the other isn’t. But it is entirely up to these countries to decide. NATO respects the decision-making power of these countries, unlike Russia, which tries to intimidate, put pressure on and threaten any country that has applied for NATO membership, ”says Stoltenberg.

According to Stoltenberg, NATO has a good connection with the political leadership of both Finland and Sweden.

Foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) attended the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday. He said earlier that several NATO countries asked Finland in connection with a NATO meeting what kind of security assistance Finland would need during the processing of a NATO membership application.

This is a so-called gray period, when Finland may have applied for membership, but it has not yet been accepted by 30 NATO countries. At that time, the security guarantees for NATO member countries are not yet valid for Finland. They only apply to Member States.

According to Haavisto, NATO countries understand that ratification may need to be rushed in the current world political situation.

NATO countries will continue to support Ukraine so that Ukraine will survive the Russian invasion, Stoltenberg says. NATO members are ready to help Ukraine more than before, for example with weapons.

“Members are committed and ready to support Ukraine more,” Stoltenberg says.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba attended the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday. Kuleba said before the meeting that his agenda was short: “Weapons, guns, guns.”

“The more weapons we get and the faster they arrive in Ukraine, the more lives are saved,” Kuleba told NATO countries.

Stoltenberg said on Thursday that the aid provided to Ukraine includes a wide range of different weapons systems. However, he did not want to elaborate on what kind of weapons were involved.

The sanctions imposed on Russia by NATO members and partners are, according to Stoltenberg, unprecedented and will certainly hurt Putin’s regime. The fifth round of sanctions is unfinished in Brussels, where EU countries have taken longer than expected to take decisions.