Joe Biden submits Finland & Sweden's NATO accession protocols to US Senate for approval

In a significant development, US President Joe Biden has submitted protocols to Senate on the accession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and urged the upper chamber of Congress for approval. This comes after NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the intergovernmental military alliance during its Madrid summit on June 29. "I transmit herewith, for the advice and consent of the Senate to its ratification, the Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden," Biden stated, as per a White House press release. 

According to the White House, the protocols were signed on behalf of the US and the other parties to the North Atlantic Treaty on July 5 in Brussels. It further stated that both the Nordic countries would be able to join the military alliance and become Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty after the complete ratification of the protocols. The North Atlantic Treaty's Article 10, which describes NATO's Open Door policy, is a cornerstone of the alliance's doctrinal framework.

Finland & Sweden's inclusion would advance US objectives within NATO: White House

Article 10 specifies that allies have the authority to extend an invitation to any other European State in a position to advance the Treaty's principles and enhance the security of the North Atlantic region. According to the White House, the inclusion of Sweden and Finland would advance American objectives within NATO.

"I ask the Senate to continue working with my Administration in advancing a strong and free Europe by providing its prompt advice and consent to ratification of the Protocols," President Biden remarked, as per the release. 

He further stated that the US is also pushing all its allies to move swiftly in their own ratification procedures, taking the current global scenario into consideration.

About NATO

It should be mentioned here that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a 30-member intergovernmental military alliance. The organisation was established in the aftermath of World War II to implement the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed on April 4, 1949. The alliance is a collective security arrangement in which NATO's independent member states commit to defending each other in the event of an external attack. Since the end of the Cold War, the alliance has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, among other places.

Image: AP