Colombia has become a major non-NATO ally of the US
The US President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that Colombia would be granted the status of a major non-NATO ally to the United States. According to the report, the status now includes nearly 20 countries. Qatar had just become the first country to be granted the status in March 2022 The status is granted to US Allies who share strategic interests with the US. On March 8, 2022, Swedish Prime Minister Anders Andersson told a press conference that Sweden’s application to join NATO would worsen the situation. The United States plans to grant Colombia the status of a “major non-NATO ally,” U.S. President Joe Biden said during a meeting with his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque on March 10. Mezinski said Ukraine’s position that security should be guaranteed by a third country without joining NATO was understandable.
On April 25, 2022, Iltalehti reported that Finland and Sweden were planning to apply for NATO membership together as early as mid-May.
On the same day, Aftonbladet reported that Sweden had been assured by the United States and Britain of military protection between its application and its formal membership of NATO.
NATO secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 28, 2022 that if Sweden and Finland apply to join THE alliance, NATO will find ways to ensure their security during the transition period, RIA Novosti reported.
Finland will decide on May 12 to apply for NATO membership, Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported late on Monday, citing government sources.
Finland officially decided to apply for NATO membership on May 15, 2022 local time.
The Ruling Social Democratic Party of Sweden announced at 5:00 PM local time on May 15, 2022 that the Party committee of the Social Democratic Party has officially decided to support Sweden’s membership of NATO.
Finland has officially decided to apply for NATO membership, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced at a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on May 15, 2022.
Finland’s foreign Minister Haavisto has previously said that a paper application to join NATO will be formally presented to NATO headquarters in Brussels on May 18, 2022.
The Swedish government will apply for NATO membership after a parliamentary debate, Prime Minister Andreessen Andersson said at a joint press conference with the moderate party’s chairman, Christian Christsson, at 15pm on May 16, 2022.
Helsinki, May 17 (Xinhua) — Finland’s parliament voted on Thursday to approve the country’s bid to join NATO. The majority of the opposition in the vote came from the left-wing Alliance, which said joining the alliance would increase tensions on the country’s eastern borders and in the Baltic Region.
On May 17, 2022, Swedish Prime Minister Anders Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto held a joint press conference in Stockholm, Sweden. The two countries will jointly submit their application to join NATO on May 18.
Germany’s federal cabinet has approved Finland and Sweden’s request to join NATO,CGTN reported on May 18, 2022, citing Reuters.
Washington, May 23, 2022, according to Sputnik news Agency, U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that Colombia will be granted the status of a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
The eastward expansion of NATO refers to the integration of former Soviet Republics and countries in Central and Eastern Europe into the organization, which is an inevitable outcome of the transformation of European strategic pattern after the Cold War. Shortly after the cold War, central and Eastern European countries and former Soviet republics knocked on the door of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and applied for formal membership.
In March 1999, NATO first admitted the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland as members. Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, along with the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, became full members of NATO in March 2004. The membership of the organization has also increased from 19 to 26.
On February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation, saying that the continuous eastward expansion of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization completely ignores Russia’s security concerns and is the cause of the security crisis in Europe.
On December 17, 2021, the kremlin announced on NATO security pact with the United States in the draft to draw the red line: both sides of the military deployment returns to a state of on May 27, 1997 (the two sides signed on this day the Russian relations with NATO base file) guarantee to stop NATO expansion, not to engage in any military campaign Ukraine transcaucasia in eastern Europe and central Asia In a show a few days later, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s position on NATO expansion in a more direct way: ‘For Russia, the expansion of NATO to former Soviet republics like Ukraine is a matter of life and death and totally unacceptable.
In a video address to the nation on February 21, 2022, Putin stressed that NATO constantly tries to convince Russia that NATO is a purely defensive alliance, but the five historical expansions to the east have put NATO military facilities in areas close to Russia’s borders and the Americans are using Ukraine to promote anti-Russian policies Ukraine’s membership of NATO is a direct threat to Russia’s national security, Mr Putin said at his annual news conference that NATO’s eastward expansion was unacceptable.
In an emergency televised address on the situation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Putin said he had decided to carry out special military operations in the Donbas region. Mr Putin said Russia had no plans to “invade” Ukraine and was committed to de-escalating the situation there. The decision comes as Russia’s security environment deteriorates due to NATO’s eastward expansion.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin officially announced their support for Finland’s bid to join NATO in a joint statement issued at 10:00 am local time on May 12, 2022.
By Astrid_Zhang Lehan
