NATO signs accession protocols for Finland, Sweden

NATO Ambassadors on Tuesday signed the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and NATO.

Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde were present on the occasion.

“Today (Tuesday) NATO Allies signed the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden. We want to extend a sincere thank you to all Allies. The next step on the road towards membership is the ratification process in all national parliaments,” the Ministry for Foreign Affairs wrote in a twitter post.

“Together we are stronger. The membership of both Finland and Sweden will not only contribute to our security, but to the collective security of the Alliance,” said Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

He said that Finland’s strong defence capability, civil preparedness and resilience will contribute to the strength of the Alliance.

“I am convinced that Finland will contribute in making NATO even stronger – both politically and militarily,” said the Foreign Minister.

For decades, NATO has been a key actor in advancing European security and stability.

“A strong and unified NATO is our common security interest also in the future,” he said.

“Our collective security requires a 360 degrees approach: From the Arctic to the South. Global security developments, including in the South, increasingly affect our security and call on us to enhance security in the neighborhood. Terrorism is a serious threat to us all,” Haavisto added..

Last week at the Madrid Summit, Allied leaders agreed to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO following the agreement of a trilateral memorandum between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden.

The Accession Protocols were signed, marking the start of the ratification process, said NATO in a press release.

“This is truly an historic moment. For Finland, for Sweden, for NATO, and for our shared security,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg said that NATO’s door remains open to European democracies who are ready and willing to contribute to the shared security.

“With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger and our people will be even safer, as we face the biggest security crisis in decades,” he added.

The NATO member countries, represented by their Permanent Representatives to NATO met on Monday and prepared to sign the Accession Protocol.

Earlier on June 29, NATO decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become its members and agreed to sign the Accession Protocols.

On May 18, Finland and Sweden formally submitted their applications for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).