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Added on the 07/07/2022 20:17:06 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcome Turkey's decision to push ahead with ratifying Finland's membership, and says Sweden should also be allowed to join as soon as possible. "The most important thing is that both Finland and Sweden become full members of NATO quickly, not whether they join at exactly the same time," Stoltenberg said. SOUNDBITE
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says "the time has come to ratify both Finland and Sweden and to make them full members of our alliance " during a press conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. SOUNDBITE
Lawmakers in Finland vote overwhelmingly in favour of joining NATO as a deterrent against Russian aggression, paving the way for a joint application with Sweden to be submitted in the coming days. After a marathon debate lasting a day-and-a-half, 188 of 200 members of parliament voted in favour of NATO membership, a dramatic turnaround from Finland's military non-alignment policy dating back more than 75 years. IMAGES
As the two historically non-aligned countries confirm they will both seek to apply to NATO, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto meets with the speaker of the Swedish Parliament Andreas Norlen in the presence of the King and Queen of Sweden, and delivers a speech to the parliament. IMAGES
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson says the "northern flank of NATO is more complete" as he holds a press conference with his Norwegian and Finnish counterparts in Troms, Norway. Swedish troops are taking part in a vast NATO military exercise to simulate repelling an invasion of neighbouring Norway. SOUNDBITE