The course towards desovereignization: what could be the result for Finland and Sweden joining NATO

Ambassadors of Finland and Sweden to NATO Klaus Korhonen and Axel Wernhoff submitted official applications for their countries to join the alliance.

The documents were handed over to the bloc's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a ceremony broadcast online by NATO's press service.

The General Secretary welcomed the decision of Helsinki and Stockholm, calling it historic.

“I warmly welcome the requests of Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

You are our closest partners.

And your membership in NATO would strengthen our common security,” Stoltenberg said at the ceremony.

He noted that now the members of the alliance will consider the next steps on the path of these states to the bloc.

“The security interests of all allies must be taken into account.

And we are determined to work through all the issues and achieve a quick completion of the process,” Stoltenberg explained.

At the same time, the Secretary General of the alliance stressed that in recent days, many allies have expressed their commitment to ensuring the security of Finland and Sweden.

“NATO is already vigilant in the Baltic Sea region, and NATO and Allied forces will continue to adapt as needed,” Stoltenberg said.

The application from Finland was signed the day before by Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto after the country's President Sauli Niinistö officially approved the country's parliament's decision to join the alliance (188 deputies voted in favor, eight against).

Sweden filed its application on the same day.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom, Ann Linde, announced the signing of the document on Twitter.

Earlier, on May 15, the decision to apply to the bloc was announced by the ruling Social Democratic Party (S/SAP).

On May 16, there was a debate in parliament on this issue, but no vote was taken.

The applications of the states have already been welcomed by US President Joe Biden, noting that Finland and Sweden are long-term and reliable partners of the United States.

Earlier, a number of NATO countries publicly expressed their readiness to support the entry of new candidates into the alliance.

• Ambassadors of Finland and Sweden to NATO Klaus Korhonen (left) and Axel Wernhoff with Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

• AP

• © Johanna Geron

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry drew attention to the fact that there is no unanimous agreement on the fact that Finland and Sweden should be accepted into the alliance among the NATO member states.

“There is no solidarity, no commonality of views, no unity.

And this expression has two sides.

First, there is no unity in their own ranks.

And after all, this is not just a difference ... in the vision of prospects ... These are claims against each other, bordering on hatred, ”said Maria Zakharova, official representative of the department, in an interview with BelTA.

At the same time, there are disagreements not only at the level of the allies, but also within Finland and Sweden themselves.

“There is no unity between the political establishment, the political leadership of these countries and the people ... After all, now the decisions that were made are presented as decisions of freedom-loving Finland and Sweden, but in fact they are drawing these countries into NATO.

And they are by no means based, they are not based on the opinion of the population of this country,” she stressed.

In particular, in Sweden, the leader of the Left Party, Nushi Dadgostar, pointed out the non-democratic process of making a decision to join the bloc on May 16 at a debate in parliament.

She stated that the opinion of voters was not taken into account on this issue, which "undermines the legitimacy of the decision", and the process itself "is a betrayal of the electorate."

Ankara vs.

Meanwhile, the prospect of coexisting in an alliance with the Swedes and Finns is not welcome in Turkey.

In particular, the DPA agency, citing its sources, reported that Ankara had blocked negotiations on the entry of these countries into NATO.

Earlier, on May 13, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that Ankara "does not have a positive position" on the future membership of Stockholm and Helsinki.

He called the reason for this their assistance to organizations that are considered terrorist in Turkey.

Later, on May 16, Erdogan reacted quite sharply to reports that Sweden intended to send a delegation to Ankara to resolve existing differences.

“It seems that on Monday (May 23. -

) they are going to come to Turkey.

Come to convince us?

Sorry, but let them not bother,” the politician said.

In addition, he noted, Ankara cannot say “yes” to those “who impose sanctions on Turkey” on the issue of joining the alliance.

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

• RIA News

• © Sergey Karpukhin

Finland and Sweden imposed an arms embargo on Turkey in 2019 after it invaded Syria in order to push the Kurdish YPG from the border.

Erdogan reaffirmed his position on May 18 at a meeting of the ruling party, of which he is the leader.

According to him, Turkey protects its borders and strengthens its security, while conscientiously fulfilling its obligations in NATO.

“However, this does not mean that we will agree to every incoming proposal.

NATO enlargement makes sense for us only if the issues that concern us are taken into account.

Asking us to support the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, while providing all possible support to the terrorist organization - the Kurdistan Workers' Party - and (Kurdish. -

) People's Self-Defense Units, is at least inconsistent, ”he explained.

In this regard, the president expressed hope that Turkey's position would be heard by the Western allies.

Concern over Turkey's statements was previously expressed in an interview with Swedish Radio by co-chairman of the Kurdish National Congress Ahmet Karamus.

According to him, Kurdish organizations are alarmed that the country's authorities may make some concessions to Turkey in order to ratify the application to NATO.

However, US national security aide Jake Sullivan said during a May 18 briefing that Turkey's concerns about Finland and Sweden joining NATO could be resolved.

Experts believe that the position that the Turkish leadership has now taken is more of a game for the public and a traditional strategy in an effort to extract some benefit from any situation for themselves.

“This is the normal behavior of Ankara, its political and strategic culture.

They are trying to get as big dividends as possible.

And they are not acting in defiance of NATO, but in order to negotiate with alliance partners on their own terms, ”said Sergey Ermakov, a leading expert at the RISS Research Coordination Center, in an interview with RT.

His opinion is shared by Pavel Feldman, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.

He assumes that the main bargaining will go with the United States.

“This is rather an attempt by Ankara to bargain for more favorable conditions for staying in NATO.

They want fifth-generation fighter jets from the United States and seek tacit approval for the purchase of Russian air defenses.

And Erdogan now has an excellent negotiating position.

He can become an obstacle to the further expansion of the alliance, although deep down he doesn’t want to, ”the analyst explained in a comment to RT.

He also noted that reports that Turkey has already blocked any bid talks suggest that Ankara is trying to demonstrate its political will and raise the profile of its own NATO membership.

“Most likely, this is a demonstrative gesture addressed to Turkey's American partners in NATO.

However, the US is not accustomed to dialogue on an equal footing even with its partners.

Therefore, frank pressure and political and economic blackmail, threats of sanctions will probably be used.

Another thing is that Erdogan will not bend under this pressure, because he is a man of principle and will try to suggest to Washington a mutually beneficial way to solve this problem, ”Feldman said.

Meanwhile, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic also urged to follow Turkey's example.

At a press conference on May 18, he announced that he intends to instruct the permanent representative of the republic to NATO, Mario Nobilo, to vote against the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO.

According to him, a veto on the admission of new members to the alliance is the only way to draw attention to the problem of reforming the electoral legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and protecting the rights of Croats.

No immediate threat

Meanwhile, Russia does not see a big problem for itself in the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO.

In particular, Vladimir Putin stated this at the anniversary CSTO summit on May 16.

“Russia has no problems with these states, no.

Therefore, in this sense, there is no direct threat for us - expansion at the expense of these countries - for Russia, ”said the President of Russia.

Nevertheless, the Russian leader noted that the expansion of the military infrastructure to this territory will cause a response from the Russian Federation, which will be commensurate with the threats that may be created there.

At the same time, in a telephone conversation with Sauli Niinistö on May 14, he emphasized that abandoning the traditional policy of military neutrality would be erroneous, since there are no threats to the security of Finland itself.

According to experts, the step taken today by Stockholm and Helsinki is more emotional than pragmatic.

“Finland and Sweden believe that by joining NATO, they will ensure their national security by deploying a NATO umbrella over them.

But they are taking a step that Russia may regard as unfriendly.

And she does not consider the Western countries as adversaries separately.

In such a role, Moscow can begin to see them only when they begin to move in the wake of American policy, hiding behind NATO, ”said Pavel Feldman.

• Legion Media

• © Mykhailo Palinchak

In turn, Sergei Yermakov pointed out that by applying to NATO, both Finland and Sweden are actually voluntarily renouncing their sovereignty in the field of security.

And this desovereignization will be facilitated by the 5th article of the NATO charter on collective security.

“Collective defense is, on the one hand, a plus, for this they join NATO, and on the other hand, it imposes additional obligations.

However, the current establishment of these states considered such a step acceptable, ”the analyst said.

Experts also believe that the accession of Helsinki and Stockholm to NATO will not significantly change the geopolitical situation in the region.

“NATO countries are already present in the Baltic region.

Russia has already taken the necessary measures to stop this threat.

Of course, we will have to build up our military presence on the border with Finland, and increase missile and nuclear deterrence.

But the position of the leadership of these countries is important here.

Judging by direct contacts, they do not yet intend to take unfriendly steps, intending to limit themselves to entering the NATO security zone.

If they engage in provocations, then the Russian Federation will find military measures that will sober up these countries, ”concluded Pavel Feldman.