Mircea Geoana: NATO does not envisage reinforecements in Finland and Sweden

NATO does not envisage reinforcements in Sweden and Finland after these two states will become Alliance member states, given their military efficiency, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana said, during a phone call with AFP."We do not envision an additional presence in these two countries, they have powerful national forces. They have the capacity of defending themselves," the NATO officer said for AFP.The spectrum of such a development was agitated by Russian president Vladimir Putin at the moment of the two countries' accession, decided urgently after Russia's aggression against Ukraine.'If Finland and Sweden want it, let them accede. It is their business', but, 'in the event of a military contingency and military infrastructure there, we will be forced to respond symmetrically and create the same threats," Putin warned last week."We currently have no intention to have NATO bases in these two countries because they are countries with an increased military and strategic maturity," Mircea Geoana explained.NAOT launched on Tuesday a process for integrating Sweden and Finland, which needs to be validated by the Parliaments of the 30 member states. A large question mark remains Turkey, which conditions its support by modifying authority policies from Stockholm and Helsinki towards Kurdish soldiers with which Ankara is fighting."We hope that the process will be closed quickly," Mircea Geoana declared, refusing to offer a more precise calendar.Asked about NATO support for Ukraine, Mircea Geoana congratulated the mobilization of allied countries, but admitted to an "active concern" towards maintaining material support in weapons and munitions."The contact group for defending Ukraine", tasked to examine necessary equipment, "is working very well, but of course, there is the problem of stocks in allied countries," he said.The capacities of several states, especially European, are limited, and industries are not necessarily calibrated for a continuous support, while the war seems to extend for a long duration."We hope that the industry will have the capacity of supplying necessary equipment, it is a topic of active concern, of focus, of creative solutions." the NATO representative also said.