NATO looks forward to summit with Sweden, Finland

BARCELONA, SPAIN >> NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that next month's summit in Madrid will be a “historic” opportunity to strengthen the alliance in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Speaking at a gala in Madrid to mark Spain's 40th year as a NATO member, Stoltenberg said he looked forward to welcoming Sweden and Finland at the summit hosted by Spain's capital on June 29-30.

But the leader of the 30-member alliance didn't address Turkey's reluctance to opening the doors to Sweden and Finland. Turkey, which commands the second-largest military in NATO behind the United States, has cited the alleged support by the Nordic countries for Kurdish militants that Turkey considers terrorists as reason to reject their applications. Unanimous support is needed to add new NATO members.

On Sunday, when Stoltenberg held a private session with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to prepare the summit, he expressed his confidence that Turkey can be convinced to drop its rejection of the Scandinavian pair.

Next month's summit will redefine NATO's strategic priorities for the next decade, which Stoltenberg said include facing Chinese ambitions, the rise of antidemocratic states, climate change and instability in Africa, a top priority for Spain on Europe's southern flank. But its immediate focus will be on how to continue supporting Ukraine and deter any further aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Spain became the 16th member of NATO on May 30, 1982. Its entrance marked a milestone of Spain's return in the international political order following the end of Gen. Francisco Franco's dictatorship with his death in 1975. The country's adhesion to NATO came just a year after its fledgling democracy survived a failed military coup. Spain would later join the European Union in 1986.