Sweden and Finland will submit applications for NATO membership on Wednesday, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson announced on Tuesday.
"In Sweden and Finland we agree to go through the whole process together and we will submit the application together tomorrow," Anderson said at a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Ninisto in the Swedish capital.
However, the accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance is in doubt as Turkey has announced that it will vote against it.
In order for a country to become a member of NATO, it is necessary that all 30 countries vote for it. The ratification process takes about a year.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference that Sweden and Finland "shouldn't bother sending delegations to negotiations in Ankara."
"None of these countries have a clear, open attitude towards terrorist organizations. So how can we trust them?" Erdogan asked, calling Sweden a "breeding ground" for terrorist organizations, with terrorists in parliament.
However, the Finnish president said on Tuesday that his country and Sweden should reach an agreement with Turkey on the two countries joining the alliance.
"Statements from Turkey changed quickly and became harsher in the past few days. However, I am sure that, with constructive talks, we will resolve the situation," Ninisto said in his address to the Swedish parliament.
He also added that a month ago he spoke on the phone with the Turkish president and that a message of support for the membership of Finland and Sweden was sent.
"However, he said last Sunday that he does not support it. This means that the talks are continuing. I am optimistic," the Finnish president emphasized.
Sweden and Finland are hoping for a quick accession to NATO, which was caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Swedish prime minister and the Finnish president will meet on Thursday with the American president Joseph Biden, with whom they will discuss the application for NATO membership.
Ninisto assessed that quick ratification in the USA could facilitate the path to membership of the two countries, which joined the EU together in 1995.
"If you have a fast process there, it helps when it comes to the timeline for the whole process," Ninisto said at a news conference with Anderson.
In the meantime, the White House announced that the US administration had introduced that NATO could reach a consensus on the membership of Finland and Sweden.
"We know there is a lot of support for the membership of Sweden and Finland," spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said.
Sweden and Finland's decision to join NATO is historic and ends decades of military neutrality policies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, reacting to these announcements, said that "as far as the expansion of NATO and the new members of Sweden and Finland are concerned, Russia has no problems with these countries".
However, he accused the US of using the enlargement to "aggressively" worsen the already poor global security situation.
He also announced that Russia would respond if the alliance moved weapons or troops closer to the Russian border.
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