“The Madrid summit was never seen as a deadline. Full approval following the entry of Finland and SwedenDuring a working visit to Helsinki, Stoltenberg said he made a joint appearance with the country’s president, Sauli Niinistö.
Turkey’s concerns about such an entry “it should be taken seriously” and the way to overcome them is to “sit and talk”. The NATO secretary general persisted, asking questions about the possible blockade of Ankara, accusing the Nordic countries of hosting militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
“No other NATO country has been attacked by terrorism as much as Turkey” claimed to remember the “key” role of this ally in the organization, both in the face of conflicts such as in Syria and in accepting refugees on its territory.
The Madrid summit – 29 and 30 June – should serve to “advance” the entry of these countries, but not “deadline”he said when asked about the prospects for opting for an accelerated process in favor of the security of promising countries and strengthening the Alliance.
“I am absolutely confident that his entry will work out in favor of the security of NATO as a whole.”He said something he thought was valid in Turkey’s final assessment as well.
While Stoltenberg has repeatedly pointed to the term “legitimate”, “concerns” or Turkish “fears” showed his “surprise” at the current stance of Finnish president Ankara.
Strengthen alliance security
Niinistö was there, always answering questions from the Finnish media, until a few months ago. He perceived a “positive attitude” against his entry from Turkey, but he was also determined to seek “solutions” to the emerging opposition.
like Finland, Sweden demanded their entry “protected by a broad democratic consensus” In his country, Niinistö referred to the overwhelming support from both the public and the parliamentary spectrum, and “my” support for the country’s NATO membership.
Stoltenberg’s study visit to Helsinki to be held tomorrow Meeting between the secretary general and the Swedish prime minister in Stockholm, Magdalena Andersson, whose country formalized NATO membership in parallel with Finland.
Both Scandinavian countries are EU members but not Atlantic Alliance membersAs a result, they turned 180 degrees along the traditional military non-alignment line. The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a change in public opinion in favor of neutrality until then.
Finland shares a border of almost 1,400 kilometers with Russia.The EU has responded to its formal application for admission with threats of a “military-technical response” to what Moscow sees as a threat to the stability of the region.
Income of both countries from NATOIt will contribute to the security of the Alliance as a whole, Despite Moscow’s warnings against a new de facto enlargement of the two countries that currently maintain ties as “associated” countries but are not full members.
history in Madrid
Stoltenberg, who suspended his business trip to Germany at the last minute after being diagnosed with shingles on Thursday, continues his preparations for the NATO summit to be held in Madrid at the end of this month, with his business visits to Helsinki and Stockholm.
What at first seemed an easy entry aimed at strengthening the entire Nordic wing of the Alliance has been complicated by Turkey’s threats of a blockade.
For Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, hosting PKK opponents, activists or militants means protecting “terrorists.” And the entry of new members must be supported by all countries of the transatlantic organization, which means it requires Ankara’s approval.
In order to resolve the existing differences, the first rounds of negotiations were held at the delegation level between Sweden, Finland and Turkey in Ankara at the end of May. No significant progress so far.