Sweden And Finland Begin The Process Of Formally Joining NATO

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer
Sweden And Finland Begin The Process Of Formally Joining NATO

Ad

Dangote Vs PENGASSAN Face-off Escalates as NLC Orders Nationwide Strike

By Abiola Olawale The face-off between Dangote Refinery, owned by Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has continued to escalate as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has ordered full-scale mobilization of its affiliate unions for a nationwide strike. The NLC said it ordered the…

PSC warns senior officers: fail promotion exam three times, face retirement

By Obinna Uballa The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Monday conducted a compulsory promotion examination for 30 senior police officers in Abuja, with a stern warning that those who fail the test three times will be forced into retirement. The exercise, held at the Commission’s headquarters, involved one Assistant Inspector-General of Police, two Commissioners of…

Brent Prices Retreat below $70 as OPEC+ Mulls Another Output Hike

Brent Crude prices dropped below $70 per barrel, and WTI Crude slipped below $65, due to increased supply and expectations of further output hikes from OPEC+. Iraq resumed crude oil exports from Kurdistan via a pipeline to Turkey, adding an estimated 230,000 barrels per day to the global oil market after a two-and-a-half-year halt. OPEC+…

Ad

Sweden and Finland are holding talks with NATO officials in Brussels on starting the formal process to join the Western military alliance — a move that would mark a dramatic departure from the Nordic countries’ long-standing policies of nonalignment on military matters.

The July 4 talks are being led by Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto and follow an agreement with NATO member Turkey last week that led to Ankara dropping its objections to their membership.

On July 5, ambassadors from NATO’s 30 member states are expected to sign the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland. It is then likely to take a few months before their memberships are ratified by all alliance members.

The historic shifts by Sweden and Finland came in the face of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in February and other aggressive moves by the Kremlin in the region. Public opinion in the Nordic countries quickly turned in favor of NATO membership following the invasion.

Ankara initially said it would veto their membership, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing them of providing havens for Kurdish militants operating in Turkey and for promoting what he called “terrorism.”

Following negotiations, Erdogan said he would drop his objections but indicated he could still block their membership bids if they failed to follow through on promises, some of which were undisclosed.

NB: RFE/RL staff wrote this article for oilprice.com

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp