The Lithuanian parliament Seimas on Wednesday gave final approval to Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession protocols.
Sweden’s accession to the alliance was ratified with 112 votes in favour and one against. MPs voted unanimously in favour of Finland’s NATO membership.
“Finland and Sweden’s membership of NATO will significantly strengthen the alliance and contribute to the security and stability of the Baltic Sea region,” Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said in a press release.
“At the same time, it sends a clear message to Russia that the countries take the Russian military threat in the region seriously and that NATO is the only reliable alliance for collective defence,” he added.
According to the minister, the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is important for Lithuania, both in terms of deterrence and defence. Cooperation with these countries will be closer and joint exercises more extensive, he said.
Finland and Sweden have well-developed military capabilities, and the Baltic Sea region will be particularly strengthened by their air and naval forces, according to Anušauskas.
“The involvement of such strong militaries in collective defence will make a significant contribution to the defence of the region, and thus to the security of the Baltic States and Lithuania,” the minister said.
Later on Wednesday, President Gitanas Nausėda signed the laws on the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, thus finalising the ratification procedure in Lithuania.
Finland and Sweden, which have been NATO partners since 1994, formally applied to join NATO on May 18 this year, in response to the changed security situation following Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Both countries were formally invited to join the alliance at the NATO summit in Madrid in June. The accession protocols will enter into force after the ratification by the parliaments of all NATO member countries.
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