An important summit took place in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Subsequently, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) completed an important task among its goals for the year. NATO has finally reached an agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, bringing Sweden into the military alliance. The decision was made after a long year of negotiations.
Procedures to join NATO
A country must meet several requirements to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). These prerequisites are accepting diversity, upholding democracy, respecting the sovereignty of other countries, etc.
When a country applies for NATO membership, it signs a Membership Action Plan (MAP). MAP is a mechanism created to be used by every new member joining the organization between 1999 and 2020. However, Finland and Sweden proved to be exceptions as they did not use this procedure.
Once a country meets the preconditions and expresses its intention to become a member of NATO, it will be invited to do the same in case all other existing countries in this organization agree . This step marks the beginning of accession negotiations. Finally, the Accession Protocol was signed.
Situation in Sweden
In May last year, Finland and Sweden, two Nordic countries, applied to join NATO. NATO’s original goal was to prevent the expansion of the former Soviet Union in Europe after World War II.
The two countries have always had a military “non-alignment” policy. These two countries have cooperated closely with NATO before, but they only applied to become official members last year. Previously, the two countries had joint military exercises with this organization. The two countries have cooperated very closely with NATO despite not previously being members by sharing intelligence and supporting NATO military missions.
Why doesn’t Türkiye support Sweden becoming a NATO member?
Türkiye has often taken the position that Finland and Sweden are linked to “terrorist groups”. This position refers to the People’s Protection Units and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The PKK seeks significant autonomy for Türkiye’s Kurdish minority. On the other hand, the People’s Protection Units are the armed wing of the Syrian Kurds, controlling the Kurdish areas of Syria. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party is also considered a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.
On the other hand, Sweden has accused Turkey of human rights violations, especially in the Kurdish areas, while also raising questions about the country’s democratic standards.
: What is “Lisa”, India’s first regional AI news anchor?
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn