President Macron of France, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, and Foreign Ministers of Iceland and Denmark have joined the United States and the United Kingdom in ensuring the security of Sweden and Finland during their sensitive NATO application period, that we covered in a previous post.
“The security of Finland and Sweden is important for our security. Together with Denmark and Iceland, Norway is ready to assist with all necessary means if our Nordic neighbors are exposed to an attack before they formally become members of NATO” says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during a joint statement from the Danish, Icelandic, and Norwegian governments moments ago.
He then went on to say: “Both Finland and Sweden already meet the criteria for joining the defense alliance. Finnish and Swedish NATO membership will contribute to collective defense and strengthen North Atlantic security.”
He also said: “We will further strengthen our Nordic defense co-operation. Our military forces work well together, and have trained together for many years. We greatly appreciate the significant contributions that Finland and Sweden have already made as partner countries in NATO”.
He finished with: “Sweden and Finland have the right to apply for membership in NATO without any attempt at outside interference. The Nordic region threatens no one and will continue to be a region of low tension, who want to live in peace with their neighbors.”
While President Macron did make a separate statement, he did say he fully supports the accession of the Scandinavian pair to NATO. However, he did not say whether or not French troops would ensure their security during the application process.