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Sweden launches NATO bid, seeks to overcome Turkish objections

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Sweden’s government has formally decided to apply for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday, setting it on the road toward ending military non-alignment that lasted throughout the Cold War.

Sweden’s governing Social Democrats dropped their 73-year opposition to joining NATO on Sunday and are hoping for a quick accession, following Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

“The government has decided to inform NATO that Sweden wants to be accepted as a member of NATO, ”Andersson told reporters, adding that the application could be handed in on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday and would be synchronised with Finland.

The decision to abandon the military non-alignment that has been a central tenet of Swedish national identity for two centuries marks a sea change in public perception in the Nordic region following Russia’s attack on its neighbour.

“Europe, Sweden, and the Swedish people are living now in a new and dangerous reality,” Andersson said during a debate on security policy in parliament on Monday.

However, she said Sweden did not want permanent NATO military bases or nuclear weapons on its territory if its membership was approved.

There is broad backing in parliament for an application, though the government does not need its approval to go ahead. Finland on Sunday also confirmed it would apply to join the Atlantic military alliance.

One obstacle has already emerged even before the applications have landed at NATO’s Brussels headquarters.

Turkey surprised its NATO allies by saying it would not view applications by Finland and Sweden positively, mainly citing their history of hosting members of Kurdish militant groups.

President Tayyip Erdogan called the Scandinavian countries “guesthouses for terrorist organisations”.

Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said on Monday that Sweden would start diplomatic discussions with Turkey to try to overcome Ankara’s objections to its plan to join NATO.

“We will send a group of diplomats to hold discussions and have a dialogue with Turkey so we can see how this can be resolved and what this is really about,” Hultqvist told public service broadcaster SVT.

Turkey has said it wanted the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish militants on their territory, and to lift bans on sales of some weapons to Turkey.

Turkish state media said separately that Sweden and Finland had rejected requests for the repatriation of 33 people that Turkey alleges have links to groups it deems terrorists.

Sweden’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

NATO and the United States said they were confident Turkey would not hold up membership of Finland and Sweden.

Any decision on NATO enlargement requires approval by all 30 members of the alliance and their parliaments. Diplomats said Erdogan would be under pressure to yield as Finland and Sweden would greatly strengthen NATO in the Baltic Sea.

“I’m confident that we will be able to address the concerns that Turkey has expressed in a way that doesn’t delay the membership,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday.

The parliamentary debate in Sweden, a formality as there is already a broad majority behind an application, also gave a chance for the two parties still opposed to a NATO membership application to voice their concerns.

“The decision … to join a nuclear-armed alliance with authoritarian regimes is being made with no input from voters,” Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar said, adding: “There are other ways of keeping Sweden safe.”

(NAN)

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Headlines

Police to partner NDLEA against drug abuse in Osun

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Police arrest three suspected kidnappers in Lagos

The Commissioner of Police in Osun, Mohammed Abba, has pledged   collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in tackling the menace of drug Abuse in the state.

A statement by the Police Public Relation Officer, CSP Yemisi Opalaola, on Thursday in Osogbo, said that the commissioner made the pledge while playing host to NDLEA State Commandant, Adetula Lawal.

Abba expressed his readiness to further strengthen the healthy partnership between the two agencies.

The police commissioner said that the fight against drug abuse required collective efforts.

According to him, many of those committing crimes are doing so under the influence of dangerous drugs.

Abba promised to provide the necessary support to the NDLEA in the state.

The statement quoted Lawal as commending the police commissioner’s efforts in combating crime and criminality in the state.

He reiterated the agency’s collaboration with the police, as a leading security agency to tackle the menace of drug abuse and trafficking in the state.

 

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Customs’ 4% FOB levy will further increase inflation – financial experts

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Suspected drug smugglers kill two Customs officers in Kebbi

Financial experts have raised alarm that the implementation of the 4 per cent Free-On-Board (FOB) Levy on imports would exacerbate inflation in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Feb. 5 announced its introduction of the FOB levy on imports.

According to Abdullahi Maiwada, the spokesman of the service, the introduction of the levy was in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023.

“In line with the provisions of Section 18 (1) of NCSA 2023, the NCS is implementing a 4 per cent charge on the Free On-Board (FOB) value of imports.

“The FOB charge, which is calculated based on the value of imported goods, including the cost of goods and transportation expenses incurred up to the port of loading, is essential to driving the effective operation of the service.”

However, a former Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun Chapter, Dr Wale Adegbite and Evans Osabuohien, a Professor of Economics, said that the levy would worsen the nation’s inflation rate.

In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ota, Ogun, Adegbite and Osabuohien of the Department of Economics, Covenant University, said that the policy would negatively impact the economy.

The former MAN chairman said that the 4 per cent levy by the NCS “is a disaster and will worsen an already bad situation with multiple devastating effect on the economy.

” Why would the government inflict more hardship on the population as this new policy will certainly lead to more price increase, thus further increasing the country’s inflation rate.

“In addition, the masses will suffer more because of the impending price increase without any corresponding increase in income.”

Also, Osabuohien said that though the new FOB policy by the NCS was meant to generate more revenue for the federal government, but it would negatively impact on the economy.

He said that the NCS action would increase the cost of living of households.

The economist explained further that the development would increase the cost of operations of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially those companies that depend on imported raw materials for their production.

“This additional cost to be incurred through the 4 per cent increase in FOB would be transferred to the consumers and it would automatically trigger increase in the nation’s inflation rate,” Osabuohien said.

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Trump plans 25% tariffs on steel, aluminium imports

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U.S. President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and aluminium imports into the United States, he said on Sunday.

“Any steel coming to the United States is going to have them, 25 per cent tariff,” Trump said, according to journalists travelling with the president. When questioned about tariffs on aluminium imports, Trump replied, “25 Per cent for both.”

Trump also confirmed his plan to announce further reciprocal tariffs in the coming week.

He spoke of an announcement on Tuesday or Wednesday.

“Very simply, if they charge us, we charge them, Trump told reporters, adding that the tariffs would go into effect almost immediately.”

U.S. tariffs of 10 per cent on Chinese goods took effect from Feb. 4.

The planned tariffs of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada were suspended for an initial period of 30 days following promises from the two countries to increase border security measures.

Trump won November’s presidential election promising to slap high tariffs on foreign goods to reduce U.S. trade deficits.

He implemented a number of duties during his first term from 2017 to 2021.

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