President Joe Biden signed the ratification documents to approve Finland and Sweden’s ascension into the NATO alliance on Tuesday afternoon.
The Senate voted last week 95-1 in favor of admitting Sweden and Finland to the alliance after the two European nations started their application process in May amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
CHINA REJECTS US CALL FOR NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL TALKS AMID PELOSI VISIT TO TAIWAN
“We continue to remain vigilant against any threats to our security and deter any confrontation and confront any aggression or threat of aggression that might come up,” the president said during the signing event. “They’ll meet every NATO requirement, we’re confident of that. We will make and make our alliance stronger and will make the American people safer in the process. That’s why the United States Senate gave their advice and consent to Sweden and Finland membership with overwhelming support.”
Each ally needs to approve their ascension into the alliance for it to occur. With the U.S. having approved it, that leaves just the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey that still need to sign the instruments of ratification by the end of September, according to CNBC. Biden urged those governments to sign them “as quickly as possible.”
“I urge the remaining allies to complete their own ratification progress as quickly as possible,” Biden explained. “For more than seven decades, a strong, united NATO has been the foundation of American security … quite frankly, the basis of our security around the world.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Turkey has been the only NATO member to express hesitance toward Sweden and Finland’s entrance into the alliance. Turkish officials opposed their attempts to join the alliance, claiming that both countries have supported terrorists on the grounds that they have refused to deport Turkish nationals that Ankara has accused of loyalty to the PKK, an ethnic Kurdish militant group.
All three sides agreed to a deal in June to move forward with their NATO applications, but Turkey has maintained that it is willing to go back on its support if the other sides don’t hold up their end of the agreement.
