STOCKHOLM, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Sweden and Finland will jointly submit their applications for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership on Wednesday, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Tuesday.
NATO membership will strengthen security in Sweden as well as in the Baltic Sea region, she said at a press conference with visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Tuesday signed the letter informing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) about his country's interest in engaging in accession talks.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed the country's NATO membership application on Tuesday morning.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow would respond if NATO were to deploy military infrastructure on the territories of Finland or Sweden.
Niinisto is visiting Sweden from Tuesday to Wednesday. Andersson and Niinisto are then scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday, according to the Swedish government.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service