According to Deputy Minister Ryabkov, if Sweden and Finland join the bloc, the situation in the military sphere will “radically” change. Earlier, both of these countries officially announced that they had decided to become members of the alliance
Sergey Ryabkov
The entry of Sweden and Finland into the North Atlantic Alliance will entail an increase in the overall level of military tension and will increase the unpredictability of the situation in this area, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
“This is another grave mistake with far-reaching consequences. But what to do, such is the level of those who make the appropriate decisions in the relevant countries,” Ryabkov said (quoted by Interfax).
According to the Deputy Minister, the entry of the two Northern European states into NATO, “obviously”, will not strengthen the security of these countries. Ryabkov considered their decision to join the alliance to be a reflection of an absolutely false and distorted perception of what is happening in the world by political-forming circles in the West and, in particular, in the countries of Northern Europe.
The reaction of Russia, in particular, to ensure its own security after the accession of Sweden and Finland to the bloc, “will depend on what in practical terms will result from the accession of these countries to NATO.” “They should have no illusions that we will just put up with this,” Ryabkov pointed out.
On the eve of May 15, both Sweden and Finland announced that they would join the alliance.
The Swedish ruling Social Democratic Party in its statement indicated that “it will work to ensure that Sweden applies for membership in NATO”, but with a reservation “against the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish territory”. The country’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson explained that Sweden’s neutrality “has served well”, but in the future such a policy will not be useful due to fears of threats from Russia.
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Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced at a joint press conference that the country will apply for membership in NATO “after consultations with parliament”, which will be held on Monday, May 16.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the membership of Finland and Sweden is important for NATO. According to the Secretary General, the alliance will consider ways to ensure the security of both countries before joining the bloc, including by strengthening the military presence in the region. The process of countries joining NATO will be accelerated, but it will still take time, Stoltenberg said.
Both within Sweden and Finland, as well as in NATO, there are disagreements on the entry of these two states into the alliance. Thus, the head of the Left Party of Sweden, Nushi Dadgostar, and the chairman of the Environmental Protection party, Marta Stenevi, condemned the decision of the country’s ruling party. Dadgostar pointed out that the accession could provoke an escalation in the northern part of Europe.
Among the members of the alliance, Turkey objects to the new members. President of the Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Sweden and Finland “a guest house for terrorist organizations”: members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party banned in the country, according to him, live in Sweden, the Netherlands and even participate in parliament. “We can’t look at it positively,” he said.
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