Former NATO chief says Sweden, Finland accession his proudest decision

Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden and Finland’s entry into the defense alliance was the decision he is most proud of during his decade-long tenure, thanking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his cooperation.

“The one decision that I am most proud of is … to enlarge NATO with Finland and Sweden,” he told Anadolu ahead of the July 7-8 Ankara summit.

Stoltenberg, who is now Norway’s finance minister, said the process was not obvious or automatic, as both countries had remained neutral for centuries.

“Finland and Sweden, they have been neutral for centuries. For Sweden, neutrality has been part of their identity. Finland was, of course, part of Russia at some stage and then also had a security arrangement with Russia,” he said.

“But for those two countries to join, that was a huge achievement for the alliance, for Finland and Sweden,” he added.

Finland officially joined NATO on April 4, 2023, and Sweden became a full member on March 7, 2024. Both countries submitted their joint applications in May 2022 following Russia’s war on Ukraine.

DEMONSTRATE UNITY

Stoltenberg said his “main expectation” from the meeting in Ankara is to demonstrate unity.

Despite differences among NATO allies on issues such as trade, Iran, climate and other matters, he said, all allies in North America and Europe should clearly state that “we stand together, we protect each other, we are safer together than apart.”

Stoltenberg also stressed the importance of sending a message that support for Ukraine will continue. “That’s important because we live in a more dangerous world and, therefore, we need a united and strong NATO,” he said.

He said NATO’s main purpose is not to wage war but to prevent it through credible deterrence.

“My top priority would have been to demonstrate unity and to also make sure that we convey a strong message to any potential adversary that we will protect each other,” he said. “The main purpose of NATO is to prevent war by providing credible deterrence.”

Stoltenberg said this removes any room for “miscalculation” or “misunderstanding” in Moscow or any other capital that an attack on one NATO ally would trigger a response from the whole alliance.

“As long as that message is credible, there will be no military attack because NATO is by far the strongest military alliance in the world,” he said.

‘We need to be prepared for unforeseen’

The former secretary general of the 32-member alliance said the most important and urgent security challenge currently facing NATO is the war in Ukraine.

“It’s so close to our neighborhoods, it’s in our proximity, and it involves Russia, which for decades has been NATO’s main challenge,” he said.

He also pointed to threats and potential conflicts in Asia, including in the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the Middle East.

“It’s very hard to predict what the next crisis will be, what the next war will be, because there is so much uncertainty,” Stoltenberg said. “So, instead of trying to foresee the unforeseen, we need to be prepared for unforeseen to be able to react to any crisis, to any conflict.”

‘TÜRKİYE IS A KEY NATO ALLY’

Commenting on Türkiye’s contributions to the alliance, Stoltenberg said the country has been a key NATO ally for many years.

“Türkiye is and has been for many years a key NATO ally, partly because of its geographic location, bordering Iraq and Syria, being critical in the fight against terrorism, Daesh,” he said.

He said Türkiye’s control of the straits and its proximity to Russia in the Black Sea also makes it an important ally.

“The fact that Türkiye has one of the largest armies in the alliance demonstrates the importance of Türkiye,” he said, congratulating Türkiye for hosting the summit.

“It will be an important summit and I’m absolutely certain it will be a successful summit, not least because Türkiye is really committed to the alliance,” he added.