Canada 1st country to ratify Sweden and Finland's NATO membership bids
Canada has full confidence in Finland and Sweden's ability to integrate quickly and effectively into NATO, PM Trudeau says
Seyit Aydogan |06.07.2022
TORONTO
Canada has become the first country to ratify Sweden and Finland's NATO membership bids, the country's prime minister announced, as member states signed accession protocols for the Nordic countries on Tuesday.
"Canada has full confidence in Finland and Sweden's ability to integrate quickly and effectively into NATO and contribute to the Alliance’s collective defence," Justin Trudeau said in a statement.
"Their membership will make NATO stronger and we call on all NATO members to move swiftly to complete their ratification processes to limit opportunities for interference by adversaries," he added.
Representatives from NATO's 30 member states signed accession protocols for Finland and Sweden, after formally inviting them to the military alliance at the historic summit in Madrid last week.
The accession protocols need to be ratified by the parliaments of all members. Canada’s House of Commons debated and voted on a motion signaling their support on June 1 and June 2, respectively, ahead of closing for the summer break.
In May, the parliament's Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security had adopted a motion expressing “strong support” for the Scandinavian countries’ NATO membership, and called on all members to approve their applications “as quickly as possible.”
"Canada enthusiastically supports Finland and Sweden joining NATO. This morning, we were the first to formally ratify their accession to the Alliance. We are stronger together," Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie tweeted on Tuesday.
NATO countries sign the accession documents for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance
5 JULY 2022
NATO Ambassadors signed the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden at NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (5 July 2022), in the presence of Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This is truly an historic moment. For Finland, for Sweden, for NATO, and for our shared security.”
Last week at the Madrid Summit, Allied leaders agreed to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO following the agreement of a trilateral memorandum between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden. Today, the Accession Protocols were signed, marking the start of the ratification process.
The Secretary General said that NATO’s door remains open to European democracies who are ready and willing to contribute to our shared security: “
With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger and our people will be even safer, as we face the biggest security crisis in decades.”
related content on commonspace.eu: The decision of Sweden and Finland to apply for NATO membership is the right one and should be supported
The protocols now need to be approved by the countries of all thirty member states, and this procedure will take a while. But for many practical purposes Sweden and Finland are now members of the alliance, breaking with decades of neutrality as Europe continues to face Russian aggression against Ukraine.
source: commonspace.eu
photo: The signing of the Finland and Sweden accession protocols at NATO headquarters on 5 July 2022 (picture courtesy of the NATO press service)
5 JULY 2022
NATO Ambassadors signed the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden at NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (5 July 2022), in the presence of Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This is truly an historic moment. For Finland, for Sweden, for NATO, and for our shared security.”
Last week at the Madrid Summit, Allied leaders agreed to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO following the agreement of a trilateral memorandum between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden. Today, the Accession Protocols were signed, marking the start of the ratification process.
The Secretary General said that NATO’s door remains open to European democracies who are ready and willing to contribute to our shared security: “
With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger and our people will be even safer, as we face the biggest security crisis in decades.”
related content on commonspace.eu: The decision of Sweden and Finland to apply for NATO membership is the right one and should be supported
The protocols now need to be approved by the countries of all thirty member states, and this procedure will take a while. But for many practical purposes Sweden and Finland are now members of the alliance, breaking with decades of neutrality as Europe continues to face Russian aggression against Ukraine.
source: commonspace.eu
photo: The signing of the Finland and Sweden accession protocols at NATO headquarters on 5 July 2022 (picture courtesy of the NATO press service)
FROM THE TURKISH VIEW
Sweden’s PM condemns MPs posing with PKK flag amid Turkey NATO row
Sweden’s PM Magdalena Andersson speaks during a press conference after her visit to the Gotland’s regiment P18 of the Swedish Armed Forces, in Visby, Sweden, July 3, 2022.
(Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency/via Reuters)
AFP
Published: 06 July ,2022: 10:00 PM GSTUpdated: 06 July ,2022: 10:21 PM GST
Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Wednesday condemned a group of left-wing MPs who posed with flags from Kurdish militants as the country’s NATO membership bid faces Turkish pressure over such groups.
NATO on Tuesday kicked off the accession procedures for Sweden and Finland after a deal was struck with Turkey, which had blocked the Nordic nations from joining.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused them of being havens for Kurdish militants, specifically highlighting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) he has sought to crush, and for promoting “terrorism.”
On Tuesday, images spread on social media showing parliamentarians from the Left Party, which opposed Sweden’s decision to apply for NATO membership, posing with flags from the PKK, as well as militant group YPG and the all-female YPJ, considered terrorist groups by Turkey.
The images were taken during an annual political gathering on the island of Gotland.
“The PKK is a designated terror organization, not just in Sweden, but in the EU and posing with such flags is extremely inappropriate,” Andersson told news agency TT.
Left Party MP Lorena Delgado Varas, who was one of those involved in the political stunt, criticized what she called the hypocrisy of the other parties for supporting Kurdish groups while they were fighting the Islamic state group.
“Now they want to turn around, willing to cosy up with the dictator Erdogan. All to join NATO,” Delgado Varas wrote on Twitter
AFP
Published: 06 July ,2022: 10:00 PM GSTUpdated: 06 July ,2022: 10:21 PM GST
Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Wednesday condemned a group of left-wing MPs who posed with flags from Kurdish militants as the country’s NATO membership bid faces Turkish pressure over such groups.
NATO on Tuesday kicked off the accession procedures for Sweden and Finland after a deal was struck with Turkey, which had blocked the Nordic nations from joining.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused them of being havens for Kurdish militants, specifically highlighting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) he has sought to crush, and for promoting “terrorism.”
On Tuesday, images spread on social media showing parliamentarians from the Left Party, which opposed Sweden’s decision to apply for NATO membership, posing with flags from the PKK, as well as militant group YPG and the all-female YPJ, considered terrorist groups by Turkey.
The images were taken during an annual political gathering on the island of Gotland.
“The PKK is a designated terror organization, not just in Sweden, but in the EU and posing with such flags is extremely inappropriate,” Andersson told news agency TT.
Left Party MP Lorena Delgado Varas, who was one of those involved in the political stunt, criticized what she called the hypocrisy of the other parties for supporting Kurdish groups while they were fighting the Islamic state group.
“Now they want to turn around, willing to cosy up with the dictator Erdogan. All to join NATO,” Delgado Varas wrote on Twitter
Sweden’s Left Party is not part of the government but is helping prop up Andersson’s Social Democrat cabinet.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland reversed decades of military non-alignment by applying for NATO membership in mid-May.
While Turkey approved formally inviting Sweden to join, the accession bid still needs to be ratified by all 30 NATO members.
Erdogan has warned that his country could still block Sweden and Finland if they fail to implement the deal with Ankara.
Turkey has also said it is seeking the extradition of 12 suspects from Finland and 21 from Sweden.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland reversed decades of military non-alignment by applying for NATO membership in mid-May.
While Turkey approved formally inviting Sweden to join, the accession bid still needs to be ratified by all 30 NATO members.
Erdogan has warned that his country could still block Sweden and Finland if they fail to implement the deal with Ankara.
Turkey has also said it is seeking the extradition of 12 suspects from Finland and 21 from Sweden.
No comments:
Post a Comment