• Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Feature
  • Videos
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Feature
Videos
Infographs
In Pictures
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Europe Asia Pacific
  4. NATO officially invites Sweden, Finland to join
Europe

NATO officially invites Sweden, Finland to join

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 29 Jun 2022 18:21

Between security and interests; just after NATO declared that Russia poses a direct threat to its security, it announces that China's "coercive policies challenge our interest."

  • NATO invites Sweden, Finland to join
    NATO invites Sweden, Finland to join

NATO leaders decided Wednesday to formally invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after Turkey agreed to withdraw its reservations, according to a statement.

"Today, we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO, and agreed to sign the Accession Protocols," a statement said.

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto confirmed on Tuesday that Turkey has agreed to support Finland and Sweden's joint membership of NATO, on the first day of the alliance's summit in the Spanish capital Madrid.

Niinisto said the breakthrough came after the three countries signed a joint memorandum "to extend their full support against threats to each other’s security."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters, "I am pleased to announce that we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO."

NATO leaders call Russia "appallingly cruel"

According to NATO leaders on Wednesday, Moscow now presented a "direct danger" to the Western alliance.

Read more: NATO to consider Russia a threat and China a "strategic challenge"

In a declaration from the Madrid summit, the leaders stated that "Russia's appalling cruelty has caused immense human suffering and massive displacements, disproportionately affecting women and children."

Jens Stoltenberg, Alliance leader, unveiled a new combined package of more aid, including secure communications technology and anti-drone devices, saying "Ukraine can count on us for as long as it takes."

The summit decided on a new NATO strategy, stating that Russia "is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area".

The document updated for the first time since 2010 stated that "we cannot discount the possibility of an attack against allies’ sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The summit statement added that "allies have committed to deploy additional robust in-place combat-ready forces on our eastern flank."

NATO: China's "coercive policies challenge our interest"

For the first time in its guiding document, NATO acknowledged on Wednesday that China's power poses a risk to the alliance and that Beijing's deeper connections to Moscow were detrimental to Western interests.

"The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security, and values," the summit concept stated.

"It strives to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains."

NATO accused China of targeting NATO members with its "malicious hybrid and cyber operations and its confrontational rhetoric."

Despite some countries' reluctance to shift focus away from Europe, NATO's leading power, the United States, has pushed for the alliance to pay greater attention to China.

Following the war in Ukraine, Russia was identified as the "most significant and direct threat to allies’ security," according to NATO's guiding document, which was revised for the first time since 2010.

It further stated that growing connections between Moscow and Beijing "run counter to our values and interests."

Leaders from Asian partners Japan and South Korea were attending a NATO meeting for the first time, indicating growing concerns about China.

  • Nato
  • Finland
  • Sweden

Trending Now

All
Finland hopes to join NATO with Sweden despite Erdogan remarks: FM

Finland hopes to join NATO with Sweden despite Erdogan remarks: FM

Most Read

Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti (Getty Images)

Buzzfeed to use AI to write its articles after firing 180 employees

  • US & Canada
  • 27 Jan
Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco on Nov. 4, 2022 (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

FBI created dashboard to mislabel Twitter users as Russian bots

  • US & Canada
  • 27 Jan
The Russian-manufactured Marker 2 tank-striker (Military Review)

Russia reveals Marker 2 combat robots

  • Europe
  • 26 Jan
Russian troops entering Donetsk in March 2022 (Anadolu Agency)

Russian troops enter Vuhledar, block Ukrainian arms supply path

  • Europe
  • 26 Jan

Read this

All
demonstrators march in Place de la Republique during a rally in Paris, as workers go on strike over the French President's plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. (AFP)
Europe

France braces for new strikes against Macron's pension 'reform'

  • Today
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a White House briefing (Bloomberg)
MENA

Iran calls out provocation by Blinken, will respond to 'aggressors'

  • Today
The funeral of Jana Zakarneh, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl who was shot by IOF in her family’s house. (Reuters)
Palestine

Report unmasks surge in Israeli barbarism against Palestinians

  • Today
Persons conscripted to the Ukrainian army seen here at one of the recruiting points in Kiev. (Sputnik)
Europe

Ukraine begins jailing draft dodgers: MP

  • Today
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS