Twenty countries had already spoken in favor of this membership, but the historic decision of Stockholm and Helsinki to give up their neutrality due to the Russian invasion in Ukraine must be approved by the thirty member states.
Le Monde with AFP
The French Parliament ratified, Tuesday, August 2, the membership protocols of Sweden and Finland at NATO, by a vote of the National Assembly. As the senators had done last week, the deputies adopted the text by 209 votes against 46 with the support of the Republicans (LR), the Socialist Party (PS) and environmentalists (EELV). The National Rally (RN), for its part, abstained, while rebellious France (LFI) voted against.
France joins “twenty allies” who “have already ratified the protocols”, welcomed the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna. Sweden and Finland, however, need a ratification of the thirty member states of the organization to benefit from the protection of article 5 of the NATO Charter in the event of an attack. And Turkey threatens to “freeze” the process, accusing the two Scandinavian benevolence countries towards the Kurdistan workers’ party (PKK) and its allies that Ankara considers as terrorist organizations.
M colonna underlined the “historic and major decision” of Sweden and Finland, whose “neutrality has so far constituted a cardinal principle”. This “turning point” comes from the “upheaval of our geopolitical landmarks” with the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the use of “power” to “brute force” with “incredible violence”, “abuses, rapes, assassinations and Deportations, “castigated the head of French diplomacy. With NATO it is “a question of collective defense” and “in any case of being offensive”, she recalled.
a “dangerous process” according to the rebellious France
The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, declared on Twitter that the “adhesion of these two European partners will help strengthen the dissuasive posture of the Atlantic Alliance, as well as European security.”
“For NATO, it’s time for awakening” after “brain death” described by Emmanuel Macron, said the centrist president of the Foreign Affairs Committee Jean-Louis Bourlanges (Modem).
The “rebellious” Aurélien Saintoul denounced a “dangerous process” with the “superposition of NATO” and the European Union. On the far right, Laurent Jacobelli (RN) criticized “a challenge signal to Russia”, with this adhesion process, by presenting NATO as a “commercial showcase of the military-industrial complex” of the United States .
The LR right supported this “legitimate” membership of “partners” who “regularly contribute to NATO operations”. But “the fact that Europe of defense is not a guarantee of sufficient protection must challenge us,” said Michèle Tabarot (LR).
Socialist Alain David judged that the geopolitical context made this adhesion to NATO “necessary”. He criticized “the odious blackmail of Turkey” on the subject, about the Kurds.