Dhe Prime Ministers of Sweden and Finland have emphasized that each country makes its own decision as to whether or not to join NATO. During a visit by the Finn Sanna Marin to the Swede Magdalena Andersson on Wednesday in Stockholm, however, both also emphasized how important close coordination between their countries is to them on the way forward.
Marin reiterated that she expects a decision in Finland soon as to whether or not the country will apply to join NATO. She expects a Finnish decision within the coming weeks, not months, she said.
Applications are expected before the NATO summit
Andersson did not want to be tied to a schedule for Sweden. However, in the joint press conference, she pointed out that parliamentary elections are due in Sweden in September and indicated that other issues should be dealt with there. It is assumed that Finns and Sweden will probably go the way to NATO together. The applications would therefore be expected before the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June. But no decisions have been made yet.
The two prime ministers met in Stockholm to discuss the new security situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sweden and Finland are close partners of NATO, but militarily non-aligned. Finland also shares a border with Russia that is more than 1,300 kilometers long. Marin stated that the European security situation had changed fundamentally as a result of the war.
It is clear that nothing offers such security guarantees as Article 5 of NATO, in which member states pledge assistance should one of them be attacked. But whether you apply for membership or not, both involve risks. Neither Marin nor President Sauli Niinistö have announced their preference for membership.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (left) receives Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Stockholm on Wednesday
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Image: AFP
On Wednesday, Members of the Finnish Parliament received a government report on the new security situation and the potential impact of NATO membership. Parliament should first discuss this on the basis of this, and finally a consensus should be reached with Marin and Niinistö on how to proceed. The report identifies an advantage for security in the Baltic Sea region should Finland and Sweden become members of NATO.
report makes no recommendation
For example, “the threshold for the use of military force in the Baltic Sea region would rise, which would strengthen the stability of the region in the long term,” says the report. With an application for membership, however, there are risks of Russian attempts to influence the country and even tensions at the border. No recommendation is made in the report.
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Andersson reiterated in Stockholm that this is a very important moment in history. She did not directly comment on a report in the Swedish daily newspaper “Svenska Dagbladet” that she had already decided to apply for membership. You have to analyze what is best for Sweden’s security and the population.
In Sweden, the government is currently discussing the situation with the leaders of the other parties. Support for NATO membership is high in the bourgeois camp. A separate report on the new security situation is to be published by the end of May at the latest.