Now that two countries have joined NATO, are we not going to see more countries joining. Has Putin not lost the senseless war in Ukraine, has him not started withdrawing his armies stylishly. What has he gained so far, nothing, except war crime against humanity and sanctions, which has affected his country’s economy. Therefore, we must realise that freedom and choice is naturally and divine, and that the sovereignty and sanctity of a nation must be preserved and allowed in the best interest of citizens.
May 18, 2022, News/Commentary
COMMENTARY: One of the major aims of forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, (NATO) after the second World War 11 was to unify and strengthen the Western Allies’ military response to a possible invasion of western Europe by the then Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies and, to also safeguard the Allies’ freedom and security by political and military means. This was according to its website.
Meanwhile, history had it that 12-member countries founded NATO, they are, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United State. Later years, countries like Albania, ,Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Rep, Estonia, Germany, Greece ,Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenego, Mecedonia, Poland, Romania.Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,Turkey, and finally, Finland and Sweden, making it 32 countries for now-if member states finally debate and approve the duo applications. recalled that the Finnish Ambassador to NATO, Klaus Korhonen and his Swedish counterpart, Axel Wernhoff, submitted their membership letters to the NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg at the Alliance’s Brussels headquarters today, where he gladly received the requests, noting emphatically: ”This is a good day, at a critical moment for our security”
Stoltenberg however reiterated the importance of freedom and choice of soverign nations to decide their future. His address: “Ambassadors, dear Klaus, dear Axel, dear friends, good morning! Thank you so much for handing over the applications for Finland’s and Sweden’s membership in NATO. Every nation has the right to choose its own path. You have both made your choice, after thorough democratic processes. And I warmly welcome the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. You are our closest partners. And your membership in NATO would increase our shared security. The applications you have made today are an historic step. Allies will now consider the next steps on your path to NATO. The security interests of all Allies have to be taken into account. And we are determined to work through all issues and reach rapid conclusions. Over the past few days, we have seen numerous statements by Allies committing to Finland’s and Sweden’s security. NATO is already vigilant in the Baltic Sea region, and NATO and Allies’ forces will continue to adapt as necessary. All Allies agree on the importance of NATO enlargement. We all agree that we must stand together. And we all agree that this is an historic moment, which we must seize. So thank you, it is great to see you both”.
Some days ago, BBC had reported that the Swedish Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson earlier stressed that her party believed that joining the alliance was “best for Sweden’s and the Swedish people’s security”. “For us Social Democrats, it is clear that the military non-alignment has served Sweden well, but our conclusion is that it won’t serve us as well in the future,” adding further that Sweden would be left in a “vulnerable position” if it was the only country in the Baltic region that was not a Nato member. Same BBC reported that Finland’s President, Sauli Niinisto earlier confirmed his country would apply, calling it a “historic day”. Speaking to the Russia’s President , Vladmir Putin about his country’s decision, Niinisto said , I want to “say it straight”. “I, or Finland, are not known to sneak around and quietly disappear behind a corner,”
Recall that president Putin was quoted, telling Finland , that it would be a “mistake” for the country to think of joinining Nato, founded in 1949 to counter the threat from the Soviet Union. President Putin mentioned Ukraine’s intention to join the alliance as one of the reasons for Russia’s invasion. Now, since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, which Putin called special military operations, severe casualities have besieged his military forces, with large scare of military artillery being destroyed by the Ukrainian forces. For instance, Western estimates have been 10 or even 20 times as high, with some suggesting that Russia has lost more than 30,000 soldiers since the beginning of the war not forgetting the bombardment of Ukraine
Also, report says that Russia has reportedly lost more than 650 tanks and about 3,000 other armored vehicles and heavy equipment so far in its invasion of Ukraine. Experts put the losses down to the advanced anti-tank weapons given to Ukraine by Western countries, poor strategy, low morale, and important design flaws yet, President Putin sees no reason to stop the war. He has lost the sense of history on how the Soviet Union communist agenda collapsed because of autocratic tendencies. For instance, Wikipedia had recorded that officially, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was a Communist state that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. It was nominally a federal union of fifteen national republics; in practice its government and economy were highly centralized until its final years.
Now that two countries have joined NATO, are we not going to see more countries joining. Has Putin not lost the senseless war in Ukraine, has him not started withdrawing his armies stylishly. What has he gained so far, nothing, except war crime against humanity and sanctions, which has affected his country’s economy. Therefore, we must realise that freedom and choice is naturally and divine, and that the sovereignty and sanctity of a nation must be preserved and allowed in the best interest of citizens.
So, the world await the willful acceptance of Finland and Sweden in the coming days as Foreign ministers of Nato countries meeting in Berlin, and who have pledged to provide security guarantees for both Finland and Sweden while their bids to join Nato are being ratified by all member states – a process that can take up to a year, as reported by BBC.
Also, German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock had said there could not be a “transition period, a grey zone, where their status is unclear”.even as both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said they were confident of overcoming Turkish objections to both Finland and Sweden’s membership. It could recalled that last week Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sweden and Finland must stop supporting terrorists in their countries, provide clear security guarantees and lift export bans on Turkey.
Meanwhile, Washingston Post reported that Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto are scheduled to appear on Thursday (Tomorrow) at the White House, where President Joe Biden is expected to show his support. In a statement Wednesday, Biden said: “I warmly welcome and strongly support the historic applications from Finland and Sweden for membership in NATO and look forward to working with the U.S. Congress and our NATO Allies to quickly bring Finland and Sweden into the strongest defensive alliance in history.”
Orgu is the Editor-in-Chief, Afrikanwatch Network, wrote from Lagos, (mcnext8@yahoo.com)
