Finland and Sweden apply to join NATO

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Finland and Sweden have officially applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) amid heightened concerns over Russia's attack on Ukraine.

• Finland and Sweden have a non-aligned policy, but they have always been close to NATO. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted him to join NATO.

• NATO membership process

• First a country must formally apply for NATO membership.

• The joining country must meet the criteria set out in NATO's 1995 "Study on Expansion". These criteria include a functioning democratic political system based on a market economy, the ability to make a military contribution to NATO, etc.

• A country can join NATO only if all its 30 member countries support its membership.

• A country can become a member of NATO after ratification of accession protocols, which may take 8 to 12 months.

• At present, Turkey has not agreed to give NATO membership to Finland and Sweden.

• About North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) -

• NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance consisting of 30 member states belonging to Europe and North America (28 European states, the US and Canada).

• NATO aims to guarantee the security of its members through political and military means.

• According to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, an armed attack against any NATO member in Europe or North America shall be deemed an attack against all NATO members.

• Article 5 has been invoked only once so far after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the US.

• The last country to join NATO was North Macedonia in 2020.

• Headquarters- Brussels, Belgium