(Ottawa) Canada becomes the first NATO member country to give the green light to Sweden and Finland joining the Alliance.
Posted at 12:45 p.m.
When the two Nordic states announced they were renouncing their longstanding non-alignment and neutrality to join NATO last May, the Trudeau government signaled its intention to quickly give its seal of approval. .
It’s now done.
“Canada has become the first country to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession protocols. Both countries are taking another step towards full member status,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement on Tuesday.
Saying it has “full confidence” in their ability “to integrate quickly and effectively into NATO”, Ottawa is now urging “all NATO member countries to quickly complete their ratification process in order to limit the possibility of interference from adversaries, ”he continued.
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Justin Trudeau
All parties in the House of Commons were in favor of the candidacy of Sweden and Finland.
The Swedish and Finnish ambassadors on Canadian soil both applauded this outcome.
“Thank you Canada! It is a privilege to be Sweden’s ambassador to Canada,” the head of mission from Stockholm to Ottawa, Urban Ahlin, wrote on Twitter.
“This is great news,” commented Helsinki Ambassador Roy Eriksson.
This announcement comes days after the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain.
Just before the official opening of this meeting, Turkey, which had expressed serious reluctance to the entry of Sweden and Finland into the Alliance, announced that it was lifting its veto.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had blocked the accession process, claiming that Sweden and Finland were breeding grounds for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists.