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Govt adopts bill to ratify Finland and Sweden’s NATO accession

Ljubljana – The government adopted on Friday a bill to ratify the NATO accession protocols for Finland and Sweden, which were signed on Tuesday in Brussels, according to a press release issued after the government session.

The bill will now be discussed by the parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee and then put to vote at the plenary session.

The first serious "NO"

Minister for Climate and the Environment Annika Strandhll and the president of the federal board of the women's faction of the Social Democrats, told the newspaper "Svenska dagbladet" (The Swedish Daily News) that the women's faction opposes joining NATO. That faction has a "long history of fighting for issues related to peace, disarmament, detente and non-entry into military alliances".

Joining NATO in the summer?

According to unnamed U.S. officials, the two countries' membership in the alliance has become a "topic of discussions and numerous meetings" in talks between NATO foreign ministers. Finland is expected to submit the request in June, followed by Sweden.

Statement by the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Nikola Selakovic

The Draft Report of the European Parliament, adopted by its Committee on Foreign Affairs, in an inadmissible and inappropriate way, calls on EU states that have not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of our southern province to change their opinion.

"Serbia will not join NATO while Vucic is in power"

For the next year, he announced the first military exercise with China.
"We are cooperating with the NATO Alliance, but we are also cooperating with the CSTO (the Collective Security Treaty Organization made by former USSR countries) that do not ask us to give up part of the territory", Vulin said at the Serbian Parliament.

EU "looking to put pressure on Serbia"

This institution is also concerned by Serbia's military cooperation with Russia and Belarus, writes Sputnik.

The EU at the same time recommends that Belgrade "ensures greater alignment" between its own and EU's foreign policy. The European Parliament also reminds that Belgrade receives financial assistance from the EU, Sputnik said, quoting an EP report.

Greek Archbishop asks for clarifications on state's 'religious neutrality'

Greek Archbishop Ieronymos called on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to clarify what his proposal to establish the "religious neutrality" of the state actually means in terms of its relations with the Church, commenting on the government's plan to revise the Constitution.

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