– That Finland and Norway are here today is very important to me.
This is how Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson started the joint press conference after the meeting.
– Norway’s immediate and very strong support for Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership has been important for us, but also important for other NATO countries who have quickly ratified our application. Norway has shown the way, he continued.
Kristersson pointed to Norway’s more than 70 years of experience as a NATO member – something he describes as “enormously useful” for Sweden and something they can learn from as new members.
While Sweden’s President Sauli Niinistö pointed out that the three countries are geographically close to each other.
– And we will be even closer as soon as all five Nordic countries are in NATO, said Niinistö and added that Denmark is also involved in the countries’ ongoing discussions on security policy.
– No threat to Russia
Norwegian Prime Minister Støre reiterated Norway’s support for Finnish and Swedish NATO membership.
– It is fateful time for Europe. That three like-minded Nordic countries are now coming together and going through the whole perspective gives security and it gives a deeper understanding of what we have to face and contribute to the Europe of the future, said Støre.
He then commented on what Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership will mean for Russia:
– There is no threat to Russia. NATO does not threaten Russia, the Nordic countries do not threaten Russia. We must take care of our own security and look towards a Europe where all states, small and large, can be safe.
On Norway’s side, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap), Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap) and Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) attended the meeting.
NATO approval: – In Turkey’s hands
Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO after Russia went to war against neighboring Ukraine.
All NATO countries, apart from Hungary and Turkey, have formally approved the applications.
Hungary says it will approve the applications, while Turkey refuses to approve Sweden’s application until Sweden meets several Turkish demands. However, they have opened up to approve Finland alone.
The Finnish president has previously said that Finland alone will join NATO if they are approved first, but at the press conference he says that they will go “hand in hand” with Sweden in the further process.
– Turkey has the ratification in its hands. We can’t do anything about it, Niinistö said, adding:
– It looks like we have some Turkish criteria of our own for joining NATO, which we were not aware of.
SWEDES, FINNS AND NORWEGIANS: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö (tv) together with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap). Photo: TT News Agency/Claudio Bresciani via REUTERS
He is supported by Støre, who says that he believes that all criteria that were discussed at the NATO summit in Madrid last summer have been met by Sweden and Finland.
– I don’t think there is any country in the world that has applied for NATO membership that has met the criteria that Finland and Sweden have.
The meeting between the countries on Wednesday took place at Harpsund in Sweden and is a follow-up to a meeting between Sweden, Finland and Norway in Finland in 2019.
