Associated Press
April 25, 2022

Sweden and Finland preparing simultaneous applications for NATO membership: reports

Sweden and Finland preparing simultaneous applications for NATO membership: reports
Two newspapers – one Swedish and the other Finnish – are reporting that the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month. The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week ending May 22, and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Sweden’s Expressen tabloid.

[B]oth Nordic countries closely cooperate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliance’s troops to exercise on their soil. Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defense cooperation in the past years.