Ambassadors of Sweden and Finland in Spain trust their entry into NATO and say they will do so jointly

MADRID, 27 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The ambassador of Finland, Sari Rautio, and the ambassador of Sweden in Spain, Teppo Tauriainen, have been "optimistic" on Monday about the entry of both countries into NATO after the summit to be held this week in Madrid and have slipped that They will do it together.

When asked if they have to join jointly or if there is a possibility that one enters the Alliance and the other does not, Tauriainen has assured that, although they are having "parallel processes" and each country "decides on its own ", their leaders have agreed that they "have come into this together and will finish it together."

In an interview on National Radio, collected by Europa Press, Rautio has conveyed that in Finland they have the "hope" that there will be "positive steps" on their entry into NATO, after the heads of state meet at the summit. For his part, the Swedish ambassador has indicated that there are "positive signs", while he has assured that they remain "optimistic" because there has been progress and they hope that there will be more in the coming days.

Both ambassadors have indicated that their foreign policies will not change if they join NATO, Sweden insisting on nuclear disarmament -- even though the Alliance has three nuclear powers -- and Finland maintaining its multilateral collaborations.

Regarding the war conflict in Ukraine, Rautio has conveyed that they do not expect a military attack from Russia in the event that they enter the Alliance, but "hybrid reprisals or demonstrations" such as incursions into airspace. "We expect these kinds of expressions of discomfort," said the Finnish ambassador.

What they also hope from Finland is to return to "good relations" with their Russian neighbor due to the history and borders they share, although the war in Ukraine is "making things difficult". "There is no conflict between peoples, nor do I think there will be in the future," he added.

Although Sweden does not have a border with Russia, its ambassador has stated that they hope that in the future they can return to "exchange opportunities" between the two countries: "It is a shame because the losers are the Russian people, not Putin."

On the Swedish island of Gotland -a territory located 300 kilometers from the Russian city of Kaliningrad-, Tauriainen has affirmed that they have reinforced the presence of their armed forces for what he has considered that "they could defend it" and that "for the moment they are fine".

When questioned about the economic consequences suffered by both countries due to the war in Ukraine, the Swedish ambassador has insisted that his government is working to mitigate the effects of the invasion, even though they are not directly dependent on Russia for energy nor is this a market " very important" for their companies.

However, Finland suffered Russian gas cuts, although its ambassador has assured that the Finns know that the "culprit" of high energy prices is Putin, so they have "resilience" not to give in "to this type of He also added that he trusts that energy investments and new installations will be made in the European Union.

Finally, the Swedish ambassador has valued the concern of the Spanish Government for NATO to reinforce the open south of Europe: "For the future, Spain has interests and from the north we understand this". In addition, he has stated that this is part of being a member of an alliance because each country has its interests and has to "share them."