The Prime Ministers of Denmark, Iceland and Norway have issued the following joint statement welcoming the decisions of Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership, and emphasising that the Nordic countries all share the values and principles of the Alliance:
We strongly welcome Finland and Sweden’s decisions to apply for NATO membership.
We note that the decisions by Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership are sovereign national decisions in line with Finland and Sweden’s right to choose their own security arrangements. Finland and Sweden have the right to pursue their accession process without any attempts of outside interference.
Finland and Sweden share the values and principles of our Alliance and will enhance our collective defence and strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.
We will do our utmost to ensure a swift accession process, as Finland and Sweden already live up to the relevant criteria for NATO membership. Their armed forces meet NATO standards and are interoperable with NATO forces. We have trained and exercised together for many years. We highly appreciate the significant contributions that Finland and Sweden have made to NATO missions and operations.
Finland and Sweden’s security is a matter of common concern to us all. Should Finland or Sweden be victim of aggression on their territory before obtaining NATO membership, we will assist Finland and Sweden by all means necessary.
We immediately initiate preparations in order to effectuate these security assurances. We will also further develop our defence cooperation with Finland and Sweden.
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