Hurriyet Daily News
July 5, 2022

NATO nations sign accession protocols for Sweden, Finland

The 30 NATO allies signed off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland on July 5, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals.

The move further increases Russia’s strategic isolation….

“This is truly a historic moment for Finland, for Sweden and for NATO,” the head of the alliance, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said.

The 30 ambassadors and permanent representatives formally approved decisions made at a NATO summit in Madrid last week, when the leaders of member nations invited Russia’s neighbor Finland and Scandinavian partner Sweden to join the military club.

Securing parliamentary approval for the new members in Türkiye, however, could still pose a problem even though Sweden, Finland and Türkiye reached a memorandum of understanding at the Madrid summit.

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Stoltenberg said he expected no change of heart. “There were security concerns that needed to be addressed. And we did what we always do at NATO. We found common ground,” he said.