Sweden and Finland strengthen cooperation with NATO
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg, stated in an interview that Sweden and Finland, which aren’t members of NATO, attended a NATO Ministerial meeting that took place on the 20th of May, as reported by a correspondent for European Pravda in Brussels.
“Finland and Sweden – EU Member States, but not NATO Member States - will join us. It will be an important indicator of our level of cooperation,” Stoltenberg stated.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, was also invited to attend the meeting. However, the Finnish and Swedish Ministers joined the NATO meeting at the national level but not the European level. The other EU Member States that aren’t members of NATO (Austria, Ireland) didn’t participate in negotiations.
On the eve of the meeting, a high-ranking NATO official, who chose to remain anonymous, stated that it is only one of the expressions of a more active cooperation between Sweden and Finland with NATO. “We have more active cooperation with Sweden and Finland than ever in history,” the official said. He added that this has been the result of Russia’s aggressive behavior as well as natural reasons.
“In addition, when such active cooperation with Baltic NATO Member States is ongoing, Sweden and Finland can’t stand on the sidelines,” the NATO Management Representative explained.