Finland's and Sweden's path to NATO membership

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Written by northsouth

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Published: 03 May 2022

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By Anne Kauranen and Johan Ahlander

HELSINKI/STOCKHOLM - Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have been considering applying for membership of the NATO military alliance, which would mark a major policy shift for the Nordic region.

Here is the latest about the process and the key points under discussion:

WHAT ARE THE KEY STEPS AHEAD?

The coming days are crucial. On May 12, Finland will decide to apply for NATO membership, newspaper Iltalehti reported on Sunday, citing anonymous Finnish government sources.

It would come in two steps, Iltalehti reported. President Sauli Niinisto would first announce his approval for Finland to join, followed by parliamentary groups giving their approval for the application.

There would be no plenary vote in parliament but parliamentary group leaders expressing their groups' decisions.

Reuters was not immediately available to confirm the report.

In Sweden, parliament is conducting a security policy review, including the pros and cons of joining the alliance, with the results due on May 13. There is already a majority in parliament in support of NATO membership.

In parallel, the ruling Social Democrats, the biggest party in every election for the last 100 years, will have an internal debate on May 9-12 on whether to drop long-standing opposition to NATO membership, with the party leadership to take a decision by May 24 at the latest.

If Finland applies, Sweden is likely to do the same, as it would not want to be the sole Nordic outsider. Other Nordic countries - Norway, Denmark and Iceland - have joined the pact as founding members. Several recent polls suggest a majority of Swedes are in favour - something never seen before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Finland and Sweden would like to have some guarantees that NATO member nations would defend them during any transition period, when they would be applicants to the alliance, but not yet in.

Ratification can take a year, NATO diplomats say, as parliaments of all 30 NATO countries need to approve new members.

NATO-Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the countries could join "quickly" and that he was sure arrangements could be found for the interim period.

The United States and Britain have promised Sweden "increased military presence, more in-depth military exercises and 'strong political' support from NATO countries" during a possible NATO application process, Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto acknowledged filing a membership application by itself would not bring the two Nordic countries under the umbrella of NATO's Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on one ally is an attack on all.

"But at the same time NATO member countries have an interest in that no security breaches would take place during the application period," Haavisto said, adding that Finland could, for instance, hold enhanced military exercises with NATO members during that time.

Moscow has repeatedly warned of "serious consequences" if Finland and Sweden join NATO, saying it would have to strengthen its land, naval and air forces in the Baltic Sea, and raised the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in the area.

Russia and Finland share a 1,300-km (810-mile) border; the Kola Peninsula is a "strategic bastion" Moscow considers key for Russia's national security; it is also the home of the Russian Northern Fleet; and Russia's second-biggest city, St. Petersburg, lies some 170 km from the border with Finland.

Biden Says Russia Should be Ejected from G20

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Written by northsouth

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Published: 25 March 2022

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BRUSSELS — President Biden said that Russia should be removed from the G20 group of industrialised and developing nations because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, but said that if the member nations do not agree to the measure, then Ukraine should be allowed to participate in the group’s meetings in the future.

“I raised the possibility” of ejecting Russia from the organisation, Mr. Biden said Thursday during a news conference in Brussels as he met with other world leaders.

Such a move would echo the 2014 decision of a smaller group of the world’s largest economies to eject Russia from the G8 to punish it for its invasion and occupation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.

Mr. Biden’s comments came after a day of rare and intense global diplomacy in which the president and the leaders of 30 other nations participated in three back-to-back summits aimed at expressing solidarity in confronting Russia. He met with NATO and the G7 leaders and European Union heads.

The NATO and G7 leaders announced new economic sanctions on Russia, additional aid for European countries dealing with the surge of refugees fleeing the violence in Ukraine, the deployment of more forces to NATO countries in Eastern Europe and grim preparations for the possibility that Russia might use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Mr. Biden and the U.S. allies have moved with unexpected speed and authority over the past four weeks, rallying much of the world against President Vladimir Putin of Russia. But the historic gathering of leaders on Thursday underscored how the United States and its allies have in some ways reached their self-imposed limits.

The sense of stalemate on the battlefield is now also felt in the halls of diplomacy, where taking any dramatic new steps has proved to be difficult. Europeans have said they were not willing to bear the consequences of new sanctions on the Russian energy they depend on. And Mr. Biden has said he was not willing to commit troops to fight against Russia, fearful of provoking a bigger war.

Mr. Biden balked when he was asked whether the actions announced on Thursday would cause Mr. Putin to halt the war when the threat of sanctions did not deter him from invading in the first place.

“I did not say that in fact the sanctions would deter him,” Mr. Biden said. “Sanctions never deter.”

But on Feb. 11, Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, said that “the president believes that sanctions are intended to deter.” Six days later, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he was at the United Nations “not to start a war, but to prevent one.”

On Thursday, Mr. Biden said that maintaining unity in imposing sanctions for months will eventually convince Mr. Putin to abandon his aggression.

Mr. Biden also said that NATO “would respond” if Russia used chemical weapons in its assault on Ukraine. But he did not say whether the United States has intelligence suggesting that Mr. Putin was planning to use such weapons. And he declined to be specific about the kind of response NATO would employ.

France votes to ban Muslim women from playing sports with headscarves

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Published: 23 January 2022

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PARIS - France moves closer to barring Muslim women from playing sports in a major setback for human rights in the country, writes TRTWorld.

The French Senate has voted to ban conspicuous religious symbols in sports, a move primarily aimed at the country's Muslim women - some of whom may play sports with a headscarf. According to right-wing politicians who voted for the decision, the move targeting the country's Muslim women was taken in the interest of so-called religious neutrality.

"This measure aims to suppress all forms of Muslim subjectivity regarding faith and worship, culture and political expression," says Maria De Cartena, a human rights defender in France. In a rare move, the controversial decision was opposed by Emmanuel Macron's government, which has presided over some of the restrictive clampdowns on Muslims in recent years.

Approved by 160 votes to 143 in the upper house of parliament on Tuesday, the decision is a demonstration that Islamophobia is institutionalised," added De Cartena, speaking to TRT World.

The French government voted against the amendment. France already triggered outrage since an amendment last year to the controversial "separatism bill" that banned girls under the age of 18 from wearing hijab in public spaces.

The bill titled "Strengthening the respect of the principles of the Republic” drew criticism on social media and saw the beginning of the “hands off my hijab” campaign.

The French football federation already bans women from wearing the hijab in official matches, and headscarves are prohibited in schools and government buildings.