Finnish Prime Minister: "If No Agreement with Turkey This Month, NATO Membership Will Be Temporarily Frozen"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin warned that if an agreement on Turkey's approval of NATO membership is not reached by the NATO summit scheduled for the end of this month, the membership could be temporarily frozen. Amid rising military tensions due to large-scale military exercises between NATO and Russia in the Baltic Sea, if Finland and Sweden's swift NATO membership is not realized, security concerns in Northern Europe are expected to increase.

According to AFP on the 14th (local time), Prime Minister Marin, during a press conference held while visiting Sweden, said, "I think it is very important to make progress in the agreement with Turkey at this stage," and warned, "If we do not resolve the agreement issue before Madrid, there is a risk that the situation will be frozen." Madrid is the location of the NATO summit scheduled for the 28th, and if Turkey's approval is not obtained before the summit, rapid membership is feared to be practically impossible.

Prime Minister Marin emphasized, "I don't know how long it will take, but the membership discussion could be temporarily frozen," and added, "We take Turkey's concerns seriously and want to resolve any misunderstandings." However, she also stressed, "Turkey also has the responsibility to work towards a solution."

The NATO membership issue of Finland and Sweden currently has the support of the majority of member countries, but the Turkish government maintains opposition due to the two countries' support for Kurdish armed groups. Since NATO requires unanimous approval from all 30 member countries for new membership, Western countries are deeply concerned about the agreement issue.

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed during his visit to the United States earlier this month that he hoped to resolve this issue before the NATO summit this month, but during his visit to Finland on the 12th, he stated, "The Madrid summit has never been a deadline." This is interpreted as an intention to continue negotiations even if a rapid agreement with Turkey fails.

However, if the early membership of the two countries fails, there are concerns that military tensions in the Baltic Sea area will significantly escalate. NATO recently held a large-scale military exercise called "BALTOPS 22" in the Baltic Sea area from the 5th, involving 14 NATO member countries along with Finland and Sweden. Russia also conducted tactical exercises of the Baltic Fleet as a countermeasure.