Polish MPs to vote on Finland, Sweden’s NATO entry on Thursday
Wesprzyj naszą pracę na Go Fund Me. Dziękujemy!The lower house of Poland’s parliament will vote on the ratification of Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO on Thursday, officials have said.
Poland’s lower house, the Sejm, is due to vote on the ratification of Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO on Thursday, according to officials.PAP/Tomasz Gzell
Lawmakers will decide whether to allow President Andrzej Duda to ratify the two Nordic states’ membership of NATO, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The parliamentary debate and vote are scheduled for Thursday evening, according to officials.
Ryszard Terlecki, a senior MP with the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, told reporters on Wednesday: “We won’t be the first country… but we’ll move fast.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said the accession of Finland and Sweden would “strengthen NATO significantly.”
In an interview with public broadcaster Polish Radio, Błaszczak added: “It’s very advantageous for Poland’s security because it alters the situation in the Baltic Sea region.”
Earlier, government spokesman Piotr Müller told reporters that Poland would ratify the expansion of NATO to include Finland and Sweden by the end of the summer.
NATO’s 30 members on Tuesday signed an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden to enable them to join the Western military alliance.
“This is truly a historic moment,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who was accompanied by Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Sweden’s Ann Linde.
Stoltenberg added: “With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger.”
Now allied parliaments must ratify the decision.
Canada, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have already ratified Finland and Sweden’s NATO entry in an accelerated process, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, euronews.com
