Canada has ratified the NATO accession protocols of Sweden and Finland | War in Ukraine

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in the Greater Toronto Area when his cabinet announced Canada as the first member of NATO has signed the protocol for the accession of Sweden and Finland.

The process of Sweden and Finland joining NATO is under way, and it was Canada that got the ball rolling.

Today, Canada became the first country to ratify Finland's and Sweden's NATO accession protocols. The two countries are taking another step toward full member status, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office said in a statement.

The other 29 member countries quickly followed suit. the step.

Finland and Sweden are therefore taking a step closer to joining the Western bloc. But this agreement must now be ratified by the parliamentarians of each of the member countries of the alliance.

A procedure which should take several months, tempered the secretary general of the alliance. x27;organization, Jens Stoltenberg. In a press briefing, he recalled that it had taken 12 months for the last candidate country, North Macedonia, before obtaining all the necessary approvals to join the ranks of the Alliance.

Justin Trudeau also urged his counterparts to speed up the pace and ratify the agreements quickly in order to limit the possibility of interference from adversaries.

“As a founding member of NATO, Canada continues to subscribe to NATO's open door policy for any European country able to meet commitments and member obligations, such as protecting democracy and contributing to the collective defense of the Alliance.

— Justin Trudeau

The two traditionally neutral Nordic countries submitted their bids in mid-May, eager to find allies to deal with a possible surge Vladimir Putin's expansionist Russia. Since the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine, neighboring countries fear that the conflict will eventually cross their borders.

With information from Agence France-Presse