Head of German diplomacy Analena Bourbok today, during a press conference she gave in Stockholm with her Swedish counterpart, she insisted that Stockholm and Helsinki should join NATO before the upcoming Alliance summit in Vilnius in July.

“Sweden and Finland are fulfilling the conditions we set in Madrid, so it is very important for NATO as a whole that Sweden and Finland join us before the next summit.“, – said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany.

Burbock stressed that NATO partners must quickly implement their agreement to bring Sweden and Finland into the defense alliance, adding that Sweden has taken tangible steps to address Turkey’s problems.

“It was right and important that Sweden responded to Turkey’s concerns, contacted Ankara and took tangible steps to address these concerns,” Burbock said.

“Now all member states must act so that Sweden and Finland can unite,” he stressed, adding that “it is not only in the interests of these states, but also in the interests of NATO.”

Sweden still hopes to join NATO as soon as possible, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said for his part. “Of course, we continue to strive to become members of NATO as soon as possible,” he said.

The leaders of 30 NATO member countries decided to invite Sweden and Finland to join the Alliance at the Madrid Summit in July 2022.

Accession protocols were signed by 30 countries and ratified by 28. Only Turkey and Hungary have not yet ratified their agreement.

Ankara was outraged by the decision of the Swedish authorities to give permission for a demonstration in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, during which an extremist burned a copy of the Koran.

The possibility of Finland joining NATO separately is now regularly discussed, and most Finns say they are in favor of the country joining NATO even without Sweden.

Separate membership would be “unfortunate,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson said today.

Holding presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey in May could delay the ratification of the two countries’ membership, as the suspension of the Turkish National Assembly is expected in March.

However, the earthquake that devastated the south of the country could lead to the postponement of the election date in Turkey.

Sweden and Finland have already become much closer to NATO in recent months, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, stressing that these two countries participate in all meetings and have received security guarantees from the major powers of the Alliance, primarily from the United States.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP, Reuters, dpa.