Assuming Austria, Bosnia, Cyprus, Georgia, Ireland, Kosovo, Malta, Moldova, Switzerland and Ukraine aren’t inducted before Scotland.

Associated Press
May 17, 2022

AP Interview: Scottish leader stresses independence, NATO

Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said in an interview Tuesday that Europe’s crisis over Russia’s war in Ukraine only makes Scotland’s drive for independence more important, and maintained Scotland should play its “full part” ensuring stability and security in Europe as an eventual member of NATO.

Sturgeon spoke to The Associated Press on her first trip to the United States since the pandemic lockdown.

…She told the AP she still plans a Scotland-wide referendum on that by the end of next year, citing her government’s “very firm mandate” on that point from voters.

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A Scotland that’s independent from the United Kingdom would point to still more decisions ahead for NATO members, including the United Kingdom, on admitting additional nations.

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Sturgeon said she believed there was “overwhelming support” in Scotland to join NATO as a full member in its own right, if it gains independence.

“Scotland’s geographic position, in a key part of the North Atlantic, means that would be essential for our security,” Sturgeon said of NATO membership.

“The principal way that Scotland would contribute for the wider security of the region” would be as a possible future NATO member, she added.