Council of Ministers approves diploma on Finland and Sweden joining NATO

The Council of Ministers approved two resolutions on the protocols on Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

At the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Minister of National Defence, Helena Carreiras, recalled that "the procedure for new States joining is set in article 10 of NATO and the request to join this organisation is a free and sovereign initiative by a country". 

"Right from the first moment, Portugal, as a founding member of the Atlantic Alliance, feels that other countries may join NATO if they have the capacity to promote its goals, committing to collective defence and keeping peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area", the Minister stated.

Helena Carreiras also said that Portugal’s position on these two countries joining NATO is that they "meet the criteria":

"These are countries that will strengthen NATO’s capabilities and promote security and stability. They have been Atlantic Alliance partners since the start of the 90s", she recalled.

As for the resolutions now approved by the Government, the Minister said they were an important step and the conclusion of the process will now depend on the Parliament’s schedule, adding that "we intend for this to be as quickly as possible".