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News summary on the way home from work, Subsletter Evening.
Finland and Sweden have finally abandoned their military non-alignment path altogether.
The two countries submitted an official application for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The biggest stumbling block is Turkey's opposition, which can be called NATO's 'heretic', and the West, led by the US, is working hard to persuade Turkey.
Submit application for membership in NATO
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The person in the center of the photo is NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and this is a commemorative photo taken with the NATO ambassadors of Finland and Sweden who submitted applications for NATO membership.
NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said, "We warmly welcome Finland and Sweden's requests to join NATO. This is a historic moment that we must seize."
NATO welcomes the two countries, saying they would greatly enhance NATO's security in the Baltic region.
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The two countries have been proceeding with the process of applying for NATO membership, respectively, and as this process is completed, on the 17th Swedish time, Finnish President Ninistö and Swedish Prime Minister Andersson held a joint press conference and announced that they would submit an application for NATO membership together.
Swedish Prime Minister Andersson said: "I am glad that we have chosen the same path and that we can do it together."
Abandonment of non-aligned routes after more than 70 years
Sweden and Finland did not join NATO, following their long-standing policy of military non-alignment, maintaining neutrality.
Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer long border with Russia, and has been military neutral for 74 years since 1948.
Although it is a member of the European Union (EU), it has taken into account relations with neighboring Russia.
Sweden also declared a military non-alignment line from the time NATO was launched in 1949, because after World War II, it has been playing a role as a mediator on the international stage, focusing on multilateral diplomacy and nuclear disarmament and implementing foreign policy.
However, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, public opinion in both countries changed to a more favorable direction for NATO membership.
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▲ Source: Yonhap News
Russia started the war under the pretext that Ukraine's western bias and NATO's 'east movement' threatened its national security, but on the contrary, NATO expanded to the bottom of Russia's chin.
'Heresy' Turkey "opposes"
Both countries have applied for NATO membership, but there are still many procedures left.
Most importantly, the approval of all 30 member countries is the biggest hurdle for Turkey's agreement to maintain a 'tight-tightening' diplomacy between the West and Russia.
If Turkey continues to oppose it, the two countries' membership in NATO could be canceled.
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▲ Source: Yonhap News
Turkey's President Erdogan said, "I will not say that I am in favor of joining NATO. They are not taking a clear stance on terrorist organizations," and he was negative about Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
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The 'terrorist organization' mentioned by President Erdogan is the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which refers to an armed organization that insists on segregation and independence of the Kurds living in southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syria.
Turkey sees the PKK as the biggest security threat.
Sweden and Finland have a friendly attitude towards Kurds, and it is said that there are six Kurdish members of the Swedish parliament.
However, the two leaders are optimistic that they will be able to win Turkey's support and are trying to persuade them by sending government delegations to Turkey.
US President Biden is meeting Swedish Prime Minister Andersson and Finnish President Ninistö at the White House on the 19th eastern time in the US to express strong support for the two countries' membership in NATO.
There seems to be a level of pressure to put pressure on Turkey.
NATO's 'heretic' Turkey is showing off its presence to the fullest thanks to the Ukraine war.
Russia issuing warnings
Russia is protesting, but if Finland and Sweden, which share borders, join NATO, they are warning of 'corresponding measures', so military tensions over the Baltic Sea may increase.
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"The expansion of NATO through the accession of these countries does not pose a direct threat to Russia," Putin said. It will be reviewed based on the threat to be created.”
He continued the warning a little further, saying, "Nato is essentially used as a foreign policy tool for only one country (the United States). All of these situations are, nonetheless, exacerbating the complex international situation in the field of security. NATO has its own geopolitical objectives. Outside the framework of Europe and the Atlantic region, they are increasingly actively intervening in international affairs, controlling the international situation in the field of security, and trying to influence other regional situations, which, of course, deserves additional attention from Russia. “I spoke of Russia’s position.
Russia later expelled two employees from the Finnish embassy in Moscow in retaliation for Finland's expulsion of two Russian diplomats last month.
a piece of the day
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This is a picture of President Yoon Seok-yeol attending the 5.18 Democratization Movement commemoration ceremony and waving arms with the participants, singing 'March for the Immigrant'.
You made a similar appearance to President Moon Jae-in five years ago.
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