Erdogan approves Swedish NATO membership
Støre: “A signal to Putin”
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt after it became known that Turkey will approve Sweden as a NATO member.
NTB
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) believes Turkey’s yes to Swedish NATO membership could be a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“NATO is a defense alliance. NATO is not a threat to anyone and provides collective protection to almost 32 members. If his intention was to split the alliance, the opposite has happened. In sum, we are a stronger and more integrated NATO, and Putin should take that signal.”
This is what Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) said in response to questions from NTB during a press conference on the evening of July 10.
Only a short time earlier, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agrees to admit Sweden into NATO.
“This is a historic step that makes all NATO allies stronger,” according to Stoltenberg.
Thinks Sweden will be approved this summer
Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt also attended the press conference.
She pointed out that no country has been approved in the defense alliance as quickly as Finland and Sweden.
How long it will be before the Turkish National Assembly ratifies Swedish NATO membership is still not clear. Hungary has not ratified the Swedish NATO application and has made it clear that it will only happen if Turkey does, too, but Støre believes that things will happen quickly.
“I believe that the Swedish flag will be raised at NATO’s headquarters this summer,” said Støre.
“Will make the alliance stronger and the Nordic region safer”
The Prime Minister commented on the matter shortly after the announcement on Twitter.
“It is important, positive, and good news for Sweden, Norway, the Nordic countries and for NATO that Swedish membership in the alliance has been resolved, following agreement between Stoltenberg, Erdogan and Kristersson this evening. A united Nordic region in NATO will make the alliance stronger and the Nordics safer,” Støre wrote.
The Prime Minister referred to the agreement as historic news for Sweden, Norway, the Nordic countries, and the whole of NATO.
“A united Nordic region in NATO makes the alliance stronger and our region more secure.”
Sveinung Rotevatn, deputy parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party, commented briefly on the issue.
“And there, the Baltic Sea is part of NATO,” he stated on Twitter.
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