National Post (National Edition)
Canada would support Sweden, Finland in bid to join NATO, Joly says
Scandinavians seek security assurances
OBVIOUSLY CANADA WOULD BE STANDING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH SWEDEN. — MÉLANIE JOLY
OTTAWA • Canada will support Sweden and Finland if they choose to apply for NATO membership, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Thursday.
“We think that we can be one of the first to support them,” Joly said at a joint press conference with Sweden's Foreign Affairs Minister Ann Linde. Linde's visit to Canada comes as Sweden is set to decide this month whether to join the NATO military alliance of Western countries.
Sweden and Finland are considering joining NATO — and reversing their traditional policy of military neutrality regarding Russia — in the wake of Russia's invasion of and war in Ukraine.
“The question of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO obviously needs to be answered by Finns and Swedes themselves, but should that decision be made, Canada is a steadfast supporter of the open door policy of NATO,” Joly said.
Joly said because Canada and Sweden are “like-minded countries,” both Arctic nations with common values and “a long history of co-operation ... obviously Canada would be standing shoulder to shoulder with Sweden.”
Joly indicated that support would extend to helping Sweden and Finland in their bid. “We hope that not only can we support, should that be necessary, Sweden and Finland, but also that other countries will follow suit,” Joly said. “Canada being that country that bridges, certainly the U.S. and Europe, but also other countries within NATO, we will do that diplomatic work.”
Sweden's decision could come as soon as May 13, when a parliamentary security policy review is due. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the two countries could join the alliance “quickly” if they choose to apply.
Russia has warned Finland and Sweden against joining the alliance, saying if that happens Russia would shore up its defences in the Baltic region, including deploying nuclear weapons. Linde said in Washington Wednesday that Sweden has received assurances from the United States that it would receive support during the application process.
Linde told reporters that one of the questions the country is analyzing is the best way to keep Sweden and its population safe. Once the country joins NATO, it will have security guarantees, but it faces the risk of Russian interference “if we decide to make an application for NATO until the ratification process is clear, and that can take several months.”
“We need some kind of security assurances if we are going to apply for membership,” Linde said. She said the need for those assurances and support from NATO allies was one of the reasons she travelled to Washington and Ottawa.
If Sweden and Finland choose to join the alliance, Russia “will do anything they can to discourage us. Therefore we need visibility from NATO partners,” Linde said.