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BumRushDaShow

(127,302 posts)
Wed Jun 29, 2022, 09:46 AM Jun 2022

NATO formally invites Finland and Sweden to join the alliance.

Source: New York Times


President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, center, after the agreement clearing the way for Finland and Sweden to pursue NATO membership was announced in Madrid on Tuesday.Credit...Bernat Armangue/Associated Press


MADRID — NATO leaders on Wednesday formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, one day after Turkey dropped its objections to their membership, clearing the way for what would be one of the most significant expansions of the alliance in decades. The historic deal, following Turkey’s agreement to a memorandum with the two Nordic countries, underscores how the war in Ukraine has backfired for President Vladimir V. Putin, subverting Russian efforts to weaken NATO and pushing Sweden and Finland, which were neutral and nonaligned for decades, into the alliance’s arms.

After weeks of talks, capped by an hourslong meeting in Madrid, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey agreed to lift his block on Sweden and Finland’s membership in return for a set of actions and promises that they will act against terrorism and terrorist organizations. “As NATO allies, Finland and Sweden commit to fully support Turkey against threats to its national security,” NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said, providing some details of the agreement.

“This includes further amending their domestic legislation, cracking down on P.K.K. activities and entering into an agreement with Turkey on extradition,” he added, referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which seeks an independent Kurdish state on territory partly within Turkey’s borders. The legislatures of all 30 current members must vote to amend the NATO founding treaty to accept the new members. That has in the past taken up to a year, but is expected to be much quicker for the Nordic countries. The U.S. Senate is already pressing ahead with hearings on the application, and Mr. Biden has been a firm proponent of the new members.

Mr. Erdogan had been blocking the Nordic countries’ NATO bids amid concerns over Sweden’s longtime support for the P.K.K., which has attacked nonmilitary targets and killed civilians in Turkey, is outlawed in that country and is designated by both the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organization. But the memorandum does not specify the extradition of any of the 45 people or so Mr. Erdogan wanted sent to Turkey to face trial on terrorism charges. Sweden has already passed tougher legislation against terrorism that goes into effect on Friday.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/world/europe/nato-sweden-finland.html



The Finland acceptance might also be partly why a pissed-off Putin has been hurling missiles all the the way to Kyiv.

Since this is a treaty, that means the Senate has to pass something in support (and the OP article notes that hearings are scheduled).
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NATO formally invites Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Jun 2022 OP
The Pig screwed Poot by not harming NATO enough to suit Poot and now Poot has screwed himself... Thomas Hurt Jun 2022 #1
Ukraine suffers . . . Lovie777 Jun 2022 #2
This message was self-deleted by its author Beachnutt Jun 2022 #3
Manchin and Sinema signed a statement to expedite the process. Sanders did not. mathematic Jun 2022 #4
I'll delete it... Beachnutt Jun 2022 #6
Vunderful! Baitball Blogger Jun 2022 #5
Thanks for the good news. The more NATO nations that border Russia, the better. ancianita Jun 2022 #7
This will further piss off Putin LetMyPeopleVote Jun 2022 #8
Putin needs more NATO countries on it's border IronLionZion Jun 2022 #9

Thomas Hurt

(13,903 posts)
1. The Pig screwed Poot by not harming NATO enough to suit Poot and now Poot has screwed himself...
Wed Jun 29, 2022, 09:50 AM
Jun 2022

by invading UKR. All it did was push Finland and Sweden to take this step.

Response to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

mathematic

(1,430 posts)
4. Manchin and Sinema signed a statement to expedite the process. Sanders did not.
Wed Jun 29, 2022, 10:55 AM
Jun 2022

You could at least check to see if the Democrats you're trying to slam are actually opposed to the thing you're trying to slam them for.

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