Finland, Sweden apply to join NATO

Sweden and Finland have submitted their applications to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), TopNaija reports.

Their ambassadors made the presentation to Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Dpa reports.

On Wednesday, Stoltenberg described the move as a “historic step” in a “critical moment” for Europe.

The official noted that it came amid Russia’s war in Ukraine now almost three months.

He said the organization would assess the applications and consider the security interests of all allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Erdogan are opposed to the admission.

Erdogan is furious because Sweden and Finland earlier sanctioned his country.

The Turkish leader accused them of supporting “terrorist organisations”.

The comment referred to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdish militia People’s Defence Units (YPG) in Syria.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European states, the United States, and Canada.

NATO is a system of collective security: its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. It was established during the Cold War in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union.

The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. The NATO headquarters is located in Brussels, Belgium, while the headquarters of Allied Command Operations is near Mons, Belgium.