Austria Has No Intention To Join NATO In Sweden, Finland's Wake - Chancellor

Austria has no plans to follow Sweden and Finland in joining NATO, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Monday

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2022) Austria has no plans to follow Sweden and Finland in joining NATO, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Monday.

The official made this statement at a press conference in Vienna after a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, Slovak newspaper Pravda reported. According to the media, Nehammer stated that Vienna does not intend to follow the example set by Sweden and Finland, which have reconsidered their military neutrality amid Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and are now slated to join NATO.

There is "no such rhetoric in Austria," the Chancellor said, adding that his country remains committed to the EU's joint security policy and plans to invest more in domestic defense capabilities.

In response, Heger noted that Slovakia, just as other countries of the West, is providing ample assistance to Ukraine.

Finland and Sweden submitted membership applications to NATO in May, ending decades of neutrality in light of Russia's military operation in Ukraine. Their membership bids were initially blocked by Turkey, which accused them of supporting "terrorists," referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey promised to lift its objections after the country leaders met in Madrid in June and agreed to address Ankara's concerns.