The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO is a "historic moment" for their security and for the common security of the Alliance's member states, Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said, speaking at a press conference after the signing of the accession protocols with the foreign ministers of the two countries.
The signing is the first step, as the membership of the two countries will have to be ratified at the national level on the basis of internal procedures.
Stoltenberg stressed that NATO's door remains open for democracies in Europe.
"With 32 countries at the table, we will be even stronger and our people will be even safer as we face the biggest security crisis in decades."
Stoltenberg thanked both countries and Turkey for their constructive approach at the press conference with the Swedish and Finnish Foreign Ministers, Pekka Havisto and Ann Linde.
Referring to the procedural aspects of the two countries' NATO membership, he noted that they will participate in NATO processes until accession, and added that he expects the allies to ratify the accession of Sweden and Finland through the national procedures foreseen in each of the 30 states.
Regarding the agreement with Turkey, both Havisto and Linde noted that the countries do not support terrorism and Turkey's requests in this regard will be handled according to legal procedures.
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