'Allies will take decisions to keep NATO strong', says Chief Stoltenberg in Madrid

The Secretary-General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday stated that during the next summit in Madrid, allies would make choices to "keep NATO strong in a more competitive world." Taking to Twitter, Stoltenberg informed that in The Hague, Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Romania held a productive meeting to prepare for the crucial NATO Summit. He further added in the tweet, “In Madrid, Allies will take decisions to keep NATO strong in a more competitive world.” 

Notably, the Madrid summit, which will take place from June 28 to 30, will cover topics such as NATO troop stance and assistance for Ukraine amid the Russian aggression. 

Meanwhile, in spite of Turkey's refusal on their entrance to the alliance, Finland and Sweden may attend the forthcoming NATO summit in Madrid as non-member invitees, according to United States Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith. 

Smith said, "Our goal here is to try and see if we might have Sweden and Finland sitting at the table in Madrid as invitees," Sputnik quoted. He went on to say, “Many of us had hopes that we would see these two countries join us in Madrid as invitees at the table with the other leaders. We don't know if that will come to pass." 

NATO chief met with Sweden's and Danish Prime Minister 

Furthermore, on Tuesday evening, NATO chief Stoltenberg met with a number of leaders before the NATO summit, which includes Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson as well as her Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen. The meeting took place at the official house of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague. The leaders have addressed Sweden and Finland's bids to enter the US-backed military alliance, as per The Associated Press. 

It is pertinent to note that after decades of military non-alignment, both countries have applied to join NATO earlier this month. The situation altered dramatically when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, as per Sweden's Prime Minister. Further, last week, Stoltenberg accepted Sweden's and Finland's membership applications, despite worries that Russia was planning to threaten the Nordic nations. Turkey, which had previously threatened to impede Sweden and Finland's intentions, blocked the US-backed military alliance's initial stage. President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey encouraged NATO partners to recognise and support Ankara's security concerns. 

Apart from this, Smith asserted that the US is working behind closed doors to answer Turkey's worries about Finland and Sweden's future membership in the alliance. The move by Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership is historic, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. 

The NATO Defense Ministers Meeting will take place in Brussels on June 15-16. The event is open to the European Union, Georgia, Finland, Sweden, and Ukraine, ANI reported.  

(Image: Twitter/@jensstoltenberg)