Stoltenberg Says Finland, Sweden Experienced Quickest Accession Process In NATO History

Umer Jamshaid Published December 07, 2022 | 05:00 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2022) The process of joining NATO by Finland and Sweden was the fastest accession process to the bloc in its entire modern history, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

"So far, this has been the quickest accession process in NATO's modern history.

We have to remember that Finland and Sweden applied for membership in May and then in June all NATO allies, also Turkey, invited Finland and Sweden to become members," Stoltenberg said in an interview during FT Live.

He added that Hungary had promised to ratify the accession protocols early next year.

On May 18, three months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications, abandoning decades of neutrality. Hungary and Turkey are the only ones out of the 30 states of the alliance that have not yet approved the membership of the two new candidates.