The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, said that the alliance will react to any attack or aggressive stance against Sweden or Finland.
This came in a press conference in Brussels, on Friday, before the upcoming meeting of NATO foreign ministers on November 29-30 in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.
Stoltenberg pointed out that the parliaments of 28 NATO member states have ratified the membership of the two countries (Sweden and Finland), and the ratification of the parliaments of Turkey and Hungary remains.
He expressed his confidence that the two countries would ratify the accession of Sweden and Finland, calling for the completion of the ratification process as soon as possible.
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He pointed out that he discussed the issue during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month, in Istanbul.
The Secretary-General of the Alliance considered that Sweden and Finland had fulfilled their obligations stipulated in the tripartite memorandum concluded with Turkey.
He stated that Sweden had tightened the anti-terrorism law and lifted restrictions on arms exports to Turkey, noting that Sweden and Finland had pledged long-term cooperation with Ankara to combat terrorism.
He stressed that the accession of the two countries to the alliance will increase its strength, and that some countries, including the United States and Britain, have provided security guarantees to Sweden and Finland.
He explained that the two countries participate in all the military and civil activities of the alliance, and that “it is inconceivable that NATO will remain without reaction if an attack or aggressive stance occurs against Sweden or Finland.”
