NATO seeks to accelerate the entry of Sweden and Finland by 2023 but still with reservations

Sweden y Finland could enter NATO in 2023, the organization’s secretary general said this Sunday, Jens Stoltenbergwho recalled, however, that the decision depends on the parliaments of Turkey and Hungary.

“I hope (that the entry will take place in 2023)”, but I am not going to guarantee the exact date because it is, of course, a sovereign decision of the Turkish parliament and the Hungarian parliament, which have not yet ratified the agreement”, Stoltenberg said in an interview with AFP.

Hungary and above all, Turkeyhave been blocking the entry of the two Nordic countries into NATO since May.

“We had negotiations, which were quite demanding, in July last year, when Turkey, Finland and Sweden agreed to a joint memorandum outlining how they could intensify their collaboration, in terms of arms exports, but also, for example, to the fight against terrorism,” Stoltenberg said.

“Finland and Sweden respect this agreement and are clearly committed to long-term cooperation with Turkey on these issues. Therefore, the time to finalize the accession process and ratify the accession protocol has come,” he said.

This Sunday, the Swedish prime minister questioned some requests from Turkey.

“Turkey confirmed that we have done what we said we would do, but it also says that it wants things that we cannot and do not want to give it,” said Ulf Kristersson, referring to his country’s accession process to the Atlantic Alliance, at a conference on defense and safety in the presence of Stoltenberg.

In December, the Swedish Supreme Court rejected extradite journalist Bülent Kenes as demanded by the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The NATO Secretary General stressed, on the other hand, the speed of the entry process of the two countries.

“Of course, I would like it to be completed as soon as possible. But, at the same time, it is a fast process in relation to all NATO accession processes,” Stoltenberg said.

“I am convinced that this will happen, but I will not speculate on the exact moment when it will happen,” he concluded.