Conflicts & War

Germany ready for ‘quick ratification’ of Finland, Sweden as NATO members

Berlin, May 15 (EFE).- Germany is all prepared for quick ratification of Sweden and Finland should they decide to join NATO, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday, assuring that there would be no “gray zone” affecting their security guarantees.

Baerbock said the Russian invasion of Ukraine was pushing the two Nordic countries into joining the military bloc.

The two countries had previously ruled out joining NATO but now feel that their security guarantee was under threat after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb.24.

The foreign minister noted that there could not be a phase in which their membership status remained unclear after they applied.

“That is why we have prepared everything (for) a quick ratification process,” Baerbock said.

She referred to the NATO procedure that takes longer for a new applicant to be a member and get security guarantees from the alliance that considers an attack on one ally as an attack on all.

The German foreign minister spoke to reporters in Berlin on the sidelines of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

The majority of NATO members have welcomed the possibility of the two Nordic countries joining the alliance barring Turkey, which has opposed any expansion.

“We might take a decision we would not have taken before Febr.24,” the German minister, referring to the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

She underscored that NATO had always been an alliance for defense and “will always continue to be so, but before Feb.24, it was not the most important thing for some countries. EFE

jam/ssk

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