NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the process of ratification of the protocols on accession to NATO of Finland and Sweden will take several months.
Stoltenberg announced this forecast on July 5 at a press conference with the Foreign Ministers of Finland and Sweden, Pekka Haavisto and Ann Linde, following the signing of protocols on joining NATO by them and the ambassadors of 30 member states of the alliance.
The event was broadcast on NATO.
Stoltenberg’s forecast
The secretary general of the alliance said that he cannot say exactly when the ratification process will be completed, but we are talking about several months.
He welcomed statements from many NATO member countries that they would try to complete this process as quickly as possible.
Stoltenberg recalled that the last time the alliance expanded, when North Macedonia was admitted, it took almost a year to ratify the protocols, and expressed hope that in the case of Sweden and Finland this would happen faster.
Because the situation requires it, – added the head of the organization.
According to him, NATO member countries guarantee the security of Sweden and Finland until the completion of the process of their admission to the organization, while they are in the status of invited countries.
NATO has increased its presence in the region, including through more exercises, – Stoltenberg noted.
He also noted that the armed forces of NATO, Sweden and Finland are fully compatible, having trained and trained together for decades.
