NATO Secretary General leaves Sweden: He will become a member!

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg held a press conference after the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting held as part of the first day of the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

Recalling that this is the first meeting Finland has attended as a NATO member, Stoltenberg said they discussed the war in Ukraine and the support that should be given to this country for self-defense and being part of the Euro-Atlantic region.

“NO ROOM TO REHAVE”

Recalling that NATO allies have provided Ukraine with nearly 250 billion euros in support, including 65 billion euros in military aid, Stoltenberg said: “But there is no room for complacency.” saying.

“Our meeting today underscored NATO’s longstanding commitment to Ukraine. Allies are ramping up weapons and ammunition production, providing training, and purchasing new heavy weapons.” Stoltenberg thanked allies such as Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as partners such as Australia and Japan, who made significant contributions.

Stating that the Allies pledged to help at today’s meeting but preferred the amounts to be announced by them in the future, Stoltenberg said: “I am quite optimistic that the Allies now understand the importance of providing support. So, by the Vilnius Summit, I think we will have a significant amount of money and also a commitment to support a ‘multi-year’ programme”. he said.

“SWEDEN WILL BE A MEMBER”

On the question of Swedish membership, Stoltenberg noted:

“Finnish’s accession further increases Sweden’s security. The process is not stagnant. It did, but we were able to remove it. For several weeks or months there was no meeting, no contact in the permanent mechanism. After meeting with (President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan weeks ago, we agreed to restart this process. Here at the NATO headquarters, we had a meeting with Finland, Sweden and Türkiye. We agree to meet again and there are constant consultations. We continue to work on different levels to advance Swedish participation as well. Sweden will become a member. We are working hard to ensure this happens as soon as possible. But it is important to remember that Sweden is not left alone. Not that anyone cares about Sweden. Sweden cares about all the allies.”

BIDEN ALSO MADE A CALL

While US President Joe Biden welcomed Finland’s NATO membership, he called on Hungary and Turkey to conclude Sweden’s admission process “without delay”. “I look forward to welcoming Sweden as a NATO member as soon as possible,” Biden said in his statement. (AA, Reuters)