Chairs of Baltic Foreign Affairs Committees welcome the decision of Finland and Sweden to join NATO

NordenBladet —

Today, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the Baltic States made a Joint Statement in which they express support to the decision of Finland and Sweden to join NATO and confirm the readiness of their parliaments to approve the accession protocols as soon as possible.

In the opinion of the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees, the accession of Finland and Sweden to the organisation is of vital importance in the current European security situation, which is fraught with grave menaces. “Therefore, on behalf of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, we pledge our readiness to engage in even closer cooperation to strengthen the defence capabilities of Finland and Sweden and, through this cooperation, ensure better security in the Baltic Sea region,” they say.

Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees reiterate that it is the sovereign right of every nation to make decisions about joining international organisations and condemn Russia’s threats to block such steps. “Our parliaments are ready to be among the first to approve the accession protocols of Finland and Sweden as soon as the North Atlantic Council has approved these protocols,” they affirm, and call on the parliaments of NATO member states to ensure the smooth ratification of the Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of Finland and Sweden.

The Joint Statement is signed by Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament) of Estonia Marko Mihkelson, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima (Parliament) of the Republic of Latvia Rihards Kols and Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania Laima Andrikienė.

Text of the Joint Statement in Estonian and in English

Source: Parliament of Estonia