By Chris Muhizi Minembwe Capital News Friday June 3rd/2023.
At a graduation ceremony at the US Air Force Academy on Thursday, Vice President Biden commended NATO’s cooperation in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Despite Turkey and Hungary’s continued opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership, US President Joe Biden expressed his confidence in the alliance’s expansion “as soon as possible.”
NATO nations must ratify new members. An attack on one NATO member state is considered an attack on the entire alliance, according to the US-led alliance’s collective defense pact, known as Article 5.
Swedish and surrounding Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Finland started applying for membership in NATO last year.
While Sweden’s application is still pending, Finland formally joined the alliance in April.
“For the first time in decades, NATO is more united and energetic. With the addition of our newest ally, Finland, to the alliance, along with Sweden shortly after, it has grown even stronger. It will occur. I’ll keep my word, the US president assured.
His comments come just a few days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pleaded with Turkey to accept Sweden’s application to join NATO.
In the northern Swedish city of Lulea on Tuesday, Blinken told reporters, “From the American perspective, the time is now to complete Sweden’s accession.”
The top US diplomat expressed optimism that the procedure will be finished prior to the July NATO meeting in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
Sweden’s admission is still pending approval from Hungary and Turkey, but Ankara is thought to be the primary impediment. Turkey has charged Sweden with giving the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it regards as a “terrorist” organization, a safe harbor.
According to Sweden, it is addressing Turkey’s concerns in accordance with a trilateral agreement that the two nations and Finland inked last year.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted to his Swedish counterpart on Thursday as the foreign ministers of NATO member states met in Norway: “Fulfill your promises emanating from Trilateral Memorandum & take meaningful efforts in the fight against terrorism. The rest will come after.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States has pressed Turkey to accept Sweden’s membership in NATO.
saying that the nation from northern Europe should join the alliance because “the time is now.”
Tuesday, the senior US ambassador said Sweden has been eligible to join NATO “from day one” and has taken considerable steps to allay Turkey’s “legitimate” security concerns. He was speaking alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
In a phone conversation with the recently re-elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Biden reportedly brought up the subject earlier this week.Erdogan was praised by me. He wants to continue working on an F-16-related project. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done,” Biden said in response to Ankara’s effort to finalize a $20 billion contract for US-made F-16 fighter fighters.
When he discussed Sweden’s NATO application on Thursday, Biden omitted Turkey.
In response to the invasion of Ukraine, he emphasized that the alliance is still united, but he also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin believed NATO would “crack.”
