If NATO expands further, serious consequences are imminent

STOCKHOLM, May 9 (Xinhua)-The Finnish Presidential Office recently confirmed that President Sauli Niinistö will announce his position on Finland’s accession to NATO by May 12.

Meanwhile, Tobias Baudin, the secretary-general of the ruling Swedish Social Democratic Party, said the party would probably make the final decision on Sweden’s accession to NATO on May 15.

Analysts believe that the post-Cold War NATO expansion to the east has increasingly cornered Russia and failed to make Europe safer.

The expansion of NATO to the north and the incorporation of Finland and Sweden (two Scandinavian countries with long-standing neutral and military disalignment policies) into the military alliance will undoubtedly intensify the conflict with Russia and secure the Baltic Sea. The situation will get worse. According to analysts, the region and the whole of Europe.

Potential new members

Finland’s formal decision to join NATO follows a joint meeting of the President and the Government Committee on foreign and security policy. Finland shares a border of more than 1,300 km with Russia.

Finnish media widely speculates that President Niinistö will support Finland’s accession to NATO.

In neighboring Sweden, parliamentary parties are also having a heated debate on this issue. With the exception of the Left and the Greens, most MPs have expressed support for Sweden to join the block.

The Swedish Democrats, who had previously opposed NATO accession, recently changed their position and said they would support Sweden’s application if Finland finally decided to join.

On Wednesday, Bodin told TT News Agency that the party committee would hold an additional meeting on the decision to join NATO on May 15. This is a date carried forward from the previously scheduled May 24th. Official visit.

Domestic political commentator Matz Nutson recently said in an article on the Swedish television SVT that the Swedish Social Democratic Party’s agenda is closely aligned with the Finnish decision-making agenda, Sweden and Finland telling NATO. It suggests that we are coordinating whether or not to participate. Several Swedish media outlets speculate that Sweden and Finland may submit NATO applications together during the NATO Summit in Madrid, June 28-30.

NATO and the United States, Germany and other countries have supported two potential new Nordic members. In an interview with SVT on Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stortenberg said that once NATO’s application was processed, Sweden could expect an increase in the presence of NATO troops in the Baltic Sea and other countries.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently said that if Sweden and Finland decide to join NATO, “we can look forward to our support.”

After meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde told Swedish media Wednesday that the United States was ready to provide Sweden with a “security guarantee” during the NATO application process. rice field.

However, not all voices within NATO are welcome. Croatian President Zoran Milanović said Tuesday that he would block the entry of Sweden and Finland at the NATO summit in Madrid, adding that NATO should resolve some issues on the Balkans before accepting them. ..

Escalation of tensions on Russia

Since the end of the Cold War, US-led NATO has repeatedly attempted to bring Sweden and Finland into the military. The two countries participated in NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and are also cooperating with Russia on climate and security.

Analysts said NATO continued to expand eastward after the end of the Cold War, squeezing Russia’s strategic space, causing a “color revolution” and alienating Russia-Ukraine relations, eventually leading to the current Ukraine crisis. It states that it caused.

They say NATO continued to add fuel to the fire and used Ukraine to weaken and even defeat Russia before and after the intensifying conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Analysts believe that if Finland and Sweden join NATO, Russia’s anxiety will be further heightened, corresponding countermeasures will be triggered, and Europe’s security situation will be further exacerbated.

Sergei Markov, general director of the Moscow-based political institute, recently said the United States is actively encouraging Finland and Sweden to join NATO, affecting global security. I told Xinhua.

If NATO expands further and deploys large troops in areas near the Russian border, it will dramatically change the political and security situation. He said Russia would have to take steps to ensure its security.

Dmitry Medvedev, Vice-Chair of the Security Council of Russia, said last month that if Sweden and Finland join NATO, Russia will have to strengthen the Baltic Army, Navy and Air Force. I can’t talk any more about what isn’t. The situation in the Baltic countries-we need to rebalance. “

US diplomatic columnist Jonathan Power recently said Sweden’s plans to join NATO are playing with fire, reducing Sweden’s security.

In a column on April 11, Thomas Wallgren, a professor of philosophy at the University of Helsinki, said Finland’s accession to NATO is a reckless and dangerous mistake, significantly increasing the security risk of the country. I said it would be.

At a meeting of the UN Security Council, China’s Permanent Representative of the United Nations, Zhang, emphasized that “security in all countries is inseparable.” He said it is neither rational nor operational to base the security of one country on the unrest of another.

Given that the Cold War ended decades ago, NATO “should naturally expand the situation and make the necessary adjustments,” Zhang said.