FOCUS – France has just ratified the accession protocols of the two countries. Until the end of the process, Turkey’s attitude will be scrutinized.
After a vote in the National Assembly on Tuesday, August 2, the French Parliament ratified the protocols for the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, after the historic decision of these two countries to renounce their neutrality because of of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
France thus joins thetwenty allies” who “have already ratified the protocols“, welcomed the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna. However, Sweden and Finland need ratification by the organization’s 30 member states to benefit from the protection of Article 5 of the NATO Charter in the event of an attack. Which countries have ratified the membership of the two countries? Which ones haven’t yet? Le Figaro make the point.
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France is the 21st member country of NATO to have ratified the accession protocols of Sweden and Finland to the organization. In this list, we find: Canada, Denmark, Iceland and Norway, which ratified membership on July 5; Estonia and the United Kingdom, which ratified it on July 6; Albania (July 7); Germany (July 8); the Netherlands and Luxembourg on July 12; Bulgaria (July 13); Latvia and Slovenia on July 14; Croatia (July 15); Poland, Lithuania and Belgium on July 20; Romania (July 21); the Republic of North Macedonia (July 27) and Montenegro (July 28).
Ratification is pending in Czechia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United States.
Imbroglio between Turkey and the two Nordic countries
However, an imbroglio persists between the two Nordic countries and Turkey. Last May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan threatened to “will comethe process, accusing Sweden and Finland of benevolence towards the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its allies that Ankara considers terrorist organizations.
After several weeks of negotiations, Turkey lifted its veto in exchange for cooperation from the two candidate countries regarding members of the targeted Kurdish movements on their territory. But a few days later, Erdogan threatened to renege on the signing of the memorandum if the two countries did not hand over several dozen suspected terrorists to him. The sword of Damocles will therefore remain suspended until the protocols are ratified by Turkey.
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Once all NATO member countries have notified their acceptance of the protocols to the treaty relating to the accession of potential new members, the organization’s secretary general will invite them to join the treaty. The invited countries will then officially become members of NATO.
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