Stoltenberg celebrates the agreement between Turkey, Finland and Sweden at the start of a "historic" summit

MADRID, 29 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, has stressed that the summit of leaders that starts this Wednesday in Madrid will be "historic" and "transforming" for the future of the Atlantic Alliance, starting with the preliminaries, which have already left a " good deal" between Turkey, Sweden and Finland to facilitate the entry of the latter two countries into the bloc.

Stoltenberg has thanked Spain and, in particular, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, for hosting a summit from which he expects "unity" from the allied countries. Among the anticipated "historic" decisions is the expansion of rapid response forces -- above 300,000 troops -- and the signing of a new strategic framework that will guide NATO over the next few years.

The head of the Alliance has recognized that the bloc is facing the most serious crisis since the Second World War and has explained that it will do so with the greatest changes in defense policies since the Cold War.

Stoltenberg has explained to the media that reality is now very different from that of 2010, when Russia was "a strategic ally." "It is not the case now," he added, acknowledging that it is "a direct threat to the security" of the Alliance and its member states.

The summit will also involve the invitation for Sweden and Finland to join NATO, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted the veto he had held for more than a month on Tuesday night.

Stoltenberg has stressed that it is a "good agreement" for all parties, which will involve the two Nordic countries working "even more closely" with Turkey to combat terrorism, extradite suspects or exchange information.

Regarding the entry deadlines, he pointed out that the process is already advancing with "unprecedented" agility, but he has assumed that "it takes time" for the 30 member states of the Alliance to conclude the ratification process.