Biden Looks Forward In Signing Protocols On Sweden’s, Finland’s Accession To NATO

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he will sign protocols on Sweden’s and Finland’s accession to NATO.

Earlier in the day, US Congress passed a resolution on the ratification of documents on these countries accession to the Alliance. Under US laws, the ratification procedure is executed by the president upon the Senate’s consent. Biden hailed the Senate voting results, noting that this was the fastest Senate process for NATO expansion protocols since 1981.

“Finland and Sweden joining the Alliance will further strengthen NATO’s collective security and deepen the transatlantic partnership. <…> I look forward to signing the accession protocols and welcoming Sweden and Finland [into NATO],” Biden said in a press statement released by the White House press service.

Stockholm and Helsinki applied for NATO membership on May 18 but the accession process was blocked by Turkey, which demanded these outlaw Kurdish organizations as terrorist, extradite persons accused of terrorism or involvement in the attempted coup in 2016, and lift the bans on weapons supplies to Turkey.