Statement of Sweden and Finland by Stoltenberg

Following the signing ceremony of the joint declaration on cooperation between NATO and the EU, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a joint press conference with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the Commission European, Ursula von der Leyen.

Asked for his opinion on Sweden’s statement that it would not be able to meet all of Turkey’s demands, Stoltenberg said: “I believe that the accession protocols of Sweden and Finland will be completed and that all NATO members will approve the protocols. of adhesion in their assemblies. . This also applies to Turkey,” he said.

Emphasizing that the two countries’ NATO accession process is the fastest in the alliance’s modern history, Stoltenberg recalled that Sweden and Finland agreed with Turkey on the trilateral memorandum signed at the NATO Summit in Madrid on cooperation in the fight against terrorism and lifting the restrictions on the sale of arms, and continued as follows:

“These are also being fulfilled. They have established a permanent mechanism to share more information and intelligence and are working more closely against terrorist threats. Turkey has legitimate security concerns. No NATO ally has suffered as much from terrorism as Turkey. That is why we should receive more work from NATO allies and from Sweden and Finland on this issue.”

Stoltenberg also stated that although Sweden and Finland are not NATO members yet, they are at a very different point than they were before applying for membership.

Recalling that some NATO countries, including the US, gave security guarantees to Finland and Sweden, and NATO increased its presence in the region, Stoltenberg noted that officials from the two countries now participate in meetings and activities of NATO on many levels. Stoltenberg said: “I see the importance of completing the accession protocols with the approval of your parliaments in Turkey and Hungary. I think that will happen,” he said. (AA)