Solar Energy News  
SUPERPOWERS
NATO begins Sweden, Finland membership process; Sweden dodges on deportations
by AFP Staff Writers
Brussels (AFP) July 5, 2022

The process to ratify Sweden and Finland as the newest members of NATO was formally launched on Tuesday, the military alliance's head Jens Stoltenberg said, marking a historic step brought on by Russia's war in Ukraine.

"This is a good day for Finland and Sweden and a good day for NATO," Stoltenberg told reporters in a joint press statement with the Swedish and Finnish foreign ministers.

"With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger and our people will be even safer as we face the biggest security crisis in decades," he added.

The NATO secretary general was speaking ahead of a meeting in which the ambassadors from NATO's 30 member states were expected to sign the accession protocols for the two Nordic countries, opening a months-long period for alliance countries to ratify their membership.

"We are tremendously grateful for all the strong support that our accession has received from the allies," said Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.

"We are convinced that our membership would strengthen NATO and add to the stability in the Euro Atlantic area," she added.

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, Sweden and Finland in parallel announced their intention to drop their military non-alignment status and become part of NATO.

A NATO summit in Madrid last week endorsed that move by issuing invitations to the two, after Turkey won concessions over concerns it had raised and a US promise it would receive new warplanes.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused Sweden and Finland of being havens for Kurdish militants he has sought to crush, and for promoting "terrorism".

He also demanded they lift arms embargoes imposed for Turkey's 2019 military incursion into Syria.

But Erdogan has kept the rest of NATO on tenterhooks by saying he could still block Sweden and Finland's bids if they fail to follow through on their promises, some of which were undisclosed, such as possible extradition agreements.

Sweden refuses to deny deportations to Turkey part of NATO deal
Visby, Sweden (AFP) July 3, 2022 - Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson refused Sunday to deny Turkey's claim that it had promised to deport individuals sought by Ankara as part of Stockholm's efforts to join NATO.

Despite questioning by journalists and concerns among Kurdish and Turkish refugees in Sweden, Andersson would not say whether such a commitment had been given to Ankara for it to lift objections to Sweden's membership.

"I've been a minister for eight years and I never talked about what is said in the negotiation room," she said.

"(That) actually puts me in a bit of a difficult situation right now," she added.

In an agreement signed by Stockholm and Helsinki at a NATO summit in Madrid on Tuesday, the two Nordic countries agreed to examine Turkish extradition requests "expeditiously and thoroughly".

No promise has been given to actually carry out the extraditions, and Finland and Sweden have since recalled that the process is in the hands of the authorities and independent courts.

But Turkish President Erdogan on Thursday said at the end of the NATO summit that Sweden had made a "promise" to extradite "73 terrorists" and threatened to block NATO membership if the commitments were not met.

Andersson, who was pressed several times on Sunday to say whether such a promise had been given, simply repeated Stockholm's position.

She said Sweden will continue to respect national and international laws, no Swedish nationals will be extradited, the decision will be up to independent authorities and courts.

"If you are not involved in terrorist activities, there is no need for concern," she said.

The Swedish leader was holding her first press conference since returning from the summit, during a visit to the Baltic Sea island of Gotland.

Every July, it hosts a week of political meetings bringing together party leaders.

But it is also one of the locations due to be reinforced by the Swedish army after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Sweden's decision to join NATO.


Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


SUPERPOWERS
Relief and concern in Sweden after NATO deal with Turkey
Stockholm (AFP) June 29, 2022
Sweden may have clinched a surprise deal with Turkey paving the way for its NATO membership, but Kurds and leftwing parties expressed concern Wednesday about the concessions made to Ankara. "We did not cave in to (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan", Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said from the NATO summit in Madrid where the deal was announced. "We will not agree to any extraditions unless there is proof of terrorist activity," she told Swedish daily Aftonbladet. "There's no reason ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SUPERPOWERS
An unusual triangular molecule that makes jet fuel

Reaction insights help make sustainable liquid fuels

New biobatteries use bacterial interactions to generate power for weeks

New PET-like plastic made directly from waste biomass

SUPERPOWERS
Velodyne Lidar signs multi-year agreement with Boston Dynamics

Humans in the loop help robots find their way

Tough new robots will aim to think and act for themselves on Earth and beyond

Robots driving U.S. co-workers to substance abuse, mental health issues

SUPERPOWERS
Modern wind turbines can more than compensate for decline in global wind resource

End-of-life plan needed for tens of thousands of wind turbine blades

Engineers develop cybersecurity tools to protect solar, wind power on the grid

1500 sensors for the rotor blades of the future

SUPERPOWERS
Tesla deliveries fall with temporary closure of China factory

Range extenders: solar panels provide more juice to EVs

EU approves end of combustion engine sales by 2035

EU approves end to combustion engine sales by 2035

SUPERPOWERS
GeoLaB: Future with geothermal energy

Tapping into the million-year energy source below our feet

Cryogenic industry has expertise down cold

Evan Leppink: Seeking a way to better stabilize the fusion environment

SUPERPOWERS
Framatome selected to provide full system decontamination at Bruce Power Units 3 and 4

Russian gas threat revives German nuclear power debate

Bulgaria nuclear reactor back on after generator glitch

Isotope Production at Bruce Power produces first medical isotope

SUPERPOWERS
Critics round on UK govt over net-zero targets 'failure'

US Supreme Court limits government powers to curb greenhouse gases

ECB unveils plan to push climate-friendly investments

Kerry vows US to meet climate goal despite court setback

SUPERPOWERS
The Gambia bans timber exports after smuggling fears

Brazil sets new six-month Amazon deforestation record

Indigenous farewell for expert killed in Amazon

Funeral held in Brazil for slain British journalist









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.