Hoekstra positive about safety guarantees in Sweden and Finland

The cabinet will look “openly and positively” at any request from Sweden and Finland for security guarantees after they apply for NATO membership. That said Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) in the House of Representatives.

He would “understand very well when such a request would land with us”. According to the minister, in such a case, other countries in Europe should be looked at in order to cooperate in that area. The US and UK have already pledged security guarantees.

The reason Stockholm and Helsinki will ask for such guarantees is because in the event of an attack they will not be protected by NATO as long as the accession process is ongoing. There can be no ratification of accession if a country is in conflict with another country.

Ruben Brekelmans of the VVD, among others, asked for clarity about the guarantees. The liberal pointed out that threatening language is already being uttered in Moscow by officials towards Sweden and Finland. Hoekstra believes that both countries should be able to join NATO quickly.

The minister sees few obstacles in the way for countries to join NATO. According to him, it should be possible to arrange it fairly quickly. All thirty countries of the Atlantic Alliance must agree to join.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to look to NATO. Both countries were neutral for decades. Russia is vehemently against the membership of both countries in NATO.