NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization decided at the summit meeting that started in Spain on the 29th to officially start the procedure for the accession of Finland and Sweden in Northern Europe, and "direct threat" to Russia We have decided to significantly strengthen the defense posture of the member countries.
The NATO summit began on the 29th in Madrid, Spain, and announced the document "Madrid Summit Declaration" agreed upon by each country.
It states that it will officially begin the procedure for joining the two Scandinavian countries, Finland and Sweden.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said, "Members are ready to proceed with ratification as soon as possible," and hoped for early accession with the approval of all 30 NATO member states.
Turkey's President Erdogan, who had been reluctant to join the two countries, had a meeting with the leaders of two Scandinavian countries and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg on the 28th, and changed his stance to support the membership.
Russia to significantly strengthen its "direct threat" defense posture
On the other hand, NATO has adopted a "strategic concept" that summarizes activity guidelines for the next 10 years.
Among them, Russia is positioned as the "most serious and direct threat" from the "strategic partner" so far, and the defense posture of member countries will be significantly strengthened.
In the "Strategic Concept", China was mentioned for the first time as an entity that poses challenges to NATO's security, interests and values.
On the 29th, NATO also met with the leaders of four countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Prime Minister Kishida, to discuss the challenges facing the world.
NATO Secretary General of NATO Stoltenberg said at a press conference, "We are threatening Taiwan by significantly strengthening our armaments, including nuclear weapons, and hitting neighboring countries. We must unite with our partners to maintain a rule-based international order. It will not be possible, "he said, and expressed his intention to strengthen cooperation with Japan and other countries over maritime security and countermeasures against cyber attacks.
Future procedures
The procedure for new accession to NATO will proceed under Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
This time, Finland and Sweden have agreed to sign a "Membership Protocol".
In the future, if each country signs and ratifies this "Membership Protocol" in its own country, it will recognize both countries as parties to the North Atlantic Treaty.
Once ratified by all countries, NATO's Secretary-General calls on Finland and Sweden to join.
Then, when both countries go through domestic procedures and submit a membership document to the US State Department, they will officially become NATO member countries.
Request for support from Ukrainian President Zelensky NATO
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the NATO summit meeting online on the 29th, calling for further military and financial assistance.
President Zelensky said, "This is not a war that Russia is only waging in Ukraine. It is a war that will determine what the future world order will be."
"Ukraine needs the latest missiles and air defense systems you have. By providing them, you can completely cut off Russia's tactics to terrorize Ukrainian citizens," he said. He stated and sought further military assistance.
He also argued for the need for financial assistance, offering a specific amount of $ 5 billion a month, or about 680 billion yen in Japanese yen.
In addition, President Zelensky welcomed the move over Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, while saying, "Are our contributions to the defense of Europe still inadequate? What more is needed? Security for Ukraine is guaranteed. I want you to find a space that will be used, "he said, and asked him to start discussions on joining Ukraine to NATO.