President Emmanuel Macron signed on Saturday, on behalf of France, the protocol for the ratification of Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, which had been adopted by the French Parliament on August 2.
“This sovereign choice of Finland and Sweden, two European partners, will strengthen their security in the face of the current threat in their immediate neighborhood and will make a significant contribution, given the capabilities of these two partners, to the collective posture and to our European security,” said the Elysée on Saturday. Sweden and Finland renounced their traditional neutrality due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey threatens to ‘freeze’ the process
“Twenty allies” have “already ratified the protocols”, had indicated, during the adoption by the French Parliament, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna.
The two countries need a ratification of the thirty member states of the organization to benefit from the protection of article 5 of the NATO Charter in the event of an attack.
A member of the Atlantic Alliance, Turkey is however threatening to “freeze” the process, accusing the two Scandinavian countries of benevolence towards the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its allies that Ankara considers to be terrorist organisations.