Key Takeaways
Finland’s leaders came out in favour of applying to join NATO, and Sweden could do the same within a day.
The Kremlin warns of retaliation to Finland and Sweden .
About North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949.
- Aim: To constitutes a system of collective security, whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
- Head quarters: Brussels, Belgium
- NATO Member Countries
- 12 founding members of the Alliance – Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK and the US.
- The other members who later joined: Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
- North Macedonia is the latest to join the grouping in the year 2020.
- Important events in the Emergence of NATO
- The founding members of NATO signed the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949, NATO’s primary purpose was to defend member nations from threats by communist countries.
- During the Cold War, NATO’s mission expanded to prevent nuclear war.
- After West Germany joined NATO, the communist countries formed the Warsaw Pact alliance
- In response, NATO adopted the “Massive Retaliation” policy. It promised to use nuclear weapons if members of the Pact attacked
- After the USSR dissolved in the early 1990s, NATO’s relationship with Russia thawed.
- In 1995 NATO engages in its first major crisis-management operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- In 1997, they signed the NATO-Russia Founding Act to build bilateral cooperation.
- In 2002, they formed the NATO-Russia Council to partner on shared security issues.
- NATO participates in three alliances that expand its influence beyond its 30 member countries
About Finland
- Finland, a country located in northern Europe.
- Capital: Helsinki
- Finland is one of the world’s most northern and geographically remote countries and is subject to a severe climate.
- Bounded by
- North: Norway
- East: Russia
- South: Gulf of Finland
- Southwest: Gulf of Bothnia
- Northwest: Sweden
About Sweden
- Sweden, a country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe.
- Capital: Stockholm
- Bounded by:
- North and West: Norway
- East: Finland
- Southwest: Denmark via a bridge-tunnel through Öresund
- Maritime Borders – Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latviaand Estonia.
News Source: The Hindu