NATO formally initiates ratification process for Sweden and Finland

() — The secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formally opened the ratification process for the accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance.

On Tuesday, NATO members “will formally sign the accession protocols,” Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels.

“This is a good day for Finland and Sweden, and a good day for NATO. With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger and our people even safer as we face the biggest security crisis in decades,” Stoltenberg said.

“The alliance is open to European democracies that are ready and willing to contribute to our shared security,” he added.