Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

Sweden's ruling party joins Finland in confirming NATO membership bid

Sweden's ruling party joins Finland in confirming NATO membership bid

Finland's president and government announced Sunday that the Nordic country intends apply for membership of NATO, paving the way for the 30-member Western military alliance to expand amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the announcement of the historic policy shift from the country's traditional neutrality at a joint news conference.

Sweden's ruling Social Democratic Party later gave the green light to a NATO bid for its country, paving the way for the government to apply for membership jointly with Finland.

However, Turkey has raised objections and has threatened to veto the bids.

"Today, we, the president and the government's foreign policy committee, have together decided that Finland ... will apply for NATO membership," Finland's President Niinistö told reporters gathered at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

The Finnish Parliament is expected to endorse the decision in coming days, but it is considered a formality.

A formal membership application will then be submitted to NATO headquarters in Brussels, most likely at the some point next week.

At an extraordinary meeting, the leadership of Sweden's Social Democrats decided that the party would "contribute to a Swedish application for NATO membership", the board said in a statement, reversing their long-standing line.

The party has long been opposed to NATO membership, but has changed stance over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war.

"The Social Democrats will thus work for Sweden, if the application is approved by NATO, to declare unilateral reservations against the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish territory."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the bids would be a "historic moment" and were proof that "aggression does not pay". The NATO chief said their applications would strengthen common security and show that the alliance's door was open.

The alliance's foreign ministers met on Sunday in Berlin to discuss the moves by Finland, Sweden and others to join the western alliance in the face of threats from Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, attending the meeting, said there was "a strong consensus for bringing Finland and Sweden into the alliance".

“Finland and Sweden are already the closest partners of NATO," NATO Deputy-Secretary General Mircea Geoana said earlier on Sunday, adding that he expected allies to view their applications positively.

NATO leaders have played down Turkey's opposition to the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.

But Ankara has warned that it could veto the bids, because it says Finland and Sweden both support Kurdish groups, which it considers "terrorist" organizations.

Turkey's foreign minister said on Sunday that both countries must also provide clear security guarantees and lift export bans on some defense sector goods to Turkey.

"Our stance is perfectly open and clear. This is not a threat, this is not a negotiation where we're trying to leverage our interests," Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

His comments echoed those he made on Saturday, claiming domestic public support for the Turkish government's stance.

"A big majority of the Turkish people are against the membership of those countries who are supporting PKK, YPG terrorist organization," Cavusoglu said. "And they are asking us to block this membership."

Also speaking on Saturday, Finland's foreign minister downplayed Turkey's objections before the talks began, saying he had spoken to his Turkish counterpart to try to ease tensions.

"I'm sure that we will find the solution to this item," Pekka Haavisto told reporters.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said her country and others made clear during a dinner late on Saturday that they would be willing to fast-track the national ratification process for Finland and Sweden.

“If these two countries are deciding to join, they can join very quickly,” she said.

Denmark's foreign minister dismissed suggestions that objections from Russian President Vladimir Putin could hinder the alliance from letting in new members.

“Each and every European country has a fundamental right to choose their own security arrangement," Jeppe Kofod told reporters.

“We see now a world where the enemy of democracy number one is Putin and the thinking that he represents,” he said, adding that NATO would also stand with other countries, such as Georgia, which he said were being “instrumentalized” by Russia.

Finland's President Sauli Niinistö formally notified Vladimir Putin of his country's move to join NATO, in a phone call on Saturday. The Russian leader said it would be a mistake.

The meeting in Berlin follows a gathering of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading economies on Germany's Baltic Sea coast.

Officials there expressed strong support for Ukraine and warned that Russia's blockade of grain exports from Ukrainian ports risks stoking a global food crisis.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
×