Enlargement of NATO

The Finnish president on March 23 formally sealed the Nordic country's historic bid to join NATO by signing into law the required national legal amendments needed for membership in the Western military alliance.

According to 83% of Bulgarian citizens, our country should spend more on defense, while only 8% disagree, and 9% cannot decide. This is indicated by data from a NATO study, included in the annual report on the Alliance's activities presented today, cited by BTA correspondent Nikolay Zhelyazkov.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on March 17 hailed Türkiye 's decision to push ahead with ratifying Finland's membership, and said Sweden should also be allowed to join "as soon as possible".

"The most important thing is that both Finland and Sweden become full members of NATO quickly, not whether they join at exactly the same time," Stoltenberg said.

Türkiye has announced its decision to ratify Finland's bid to join NATO as a result of the latter's concrete and sincere measures against terror organizations while delaying the bid of Sweden.

Türkiye welcomes the steps taken by Finland and Sweden against the illegal PKK group, but they are not enough to ratify the Nordic countries' NATO bid, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said on March 9.

We are not at the one-year anniversary of the war, as Western governments and media claim. This is the nine-year anniversary of the war. And that makes a big difference.

US President Joe Biden wants both Finland and Sweden in NATO and is more focused on both countries joining rather than them doing so at the same time, the White House said on Thursday.

Europe's security environment has changed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Neutrality no longer guarantees security from Russian aggression. In a historic turning point for Finland and Sweden, both Nordic countries have applied to join NATO.

Serbia's membership in the European Union is supported by 43 percent of citizens, a third is against it, and the reforms required for membership are supported by two thirds of citizens, according to a new public opinion survey conducted by the Ministry of European Integration, Beta reported.

The Biden administration is moving ahead with its intention to supply Turkey with 40 new F-16 fighter jets and upgrade 80 of the country's older ones.