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Sweden doesn’t plan to apply for NATO membership — foreign minister

According to Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde, Finland also doesn’t intend to join NATO

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. Sweden has no plans now to apply for NATO membership and isn’t considering the issue, the country’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Monday.

"As a matter of fact, we have no intention to request NATO membership now," she said before the meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU countries Brussels.

Linde, whose comments were broadcast on the European Commission’s website, said she was in close contact with her Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto an added that Finland also didn’t intend to join NATO.

Stoltenberg said earlier that Sweden and Finland could join NATO very quickly provided that those countries decided to apply. "They meet NATO standards in most areas. They have very well organized and well governed defense and security institutions. So, in many ways, of course, they are very close to NATO in all aspects," the NATO chief contended. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, in turn, stated that Finland was not currently discussing membership with NATO.

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