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With Finland and Sweden taking steps to join NATO as the Russian occupation of Ukraine continues, the list of neutral states in Europe appears to be shrinking.
Like these two Nordic states, other states joined the European Union on the promise of economic and political unity, without having to side with the East-West division that lasted beyond the end of the Cold War.
But security concerns over Russia’s occupation of Ukraine have changed the accounts of Finland and Sweden, which have long backed military non-involvement and led other traditionally neutral states to rethink what the term means to them. . Finland said on May 15 that it wanted to join NATO, while Sweden’s ruling party said the same day it supported the application for membership in the Western alliance, while public support in the two Nordic countries has increased for such a thing.
EU countries are committed to protecting each other in the event of an external attack, a commitment that has largely remained on paper, as NATO power overshadows the bloc’s commitments to collective defense.
However, Turkey could pose an obstacle to Finland and Sweden’s ambitions for NATO membership. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is in NATO, has said his government “does not have a favorable opinion” on the issue because the Nordic states support Kurdish militants and others whom Turkey considers terrorists.
“This is the key to neutrality: it means different things to different people,” said historian Samuel Cruising of the University of Amsterdam.
In this text you can read more details about some states that have incorporated neutrality into their laws or generally consider themselves neutral in the confrontation between the United States and Russia and their respective allies. Austria, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta are non-NATO EU members and Switzerland is not part of either.
Switzerland
Perhaps the most prominent neutral country in Europe, Switzerland has incorporated neutrality within its Constitution, and Swiss voters decided decades ago that they would not become part of the EU. But the government of this country has had difficulty in recent weeks to explain the concept of neutrality after it lined up after the EU sanctions against Russia, and the neutrality of Switzerland has been analyzed by the local media almost every day in recent weeks.
Switzerland is unlikely to move further away from its neutrality: its government has already asked Germany not to send Swiss military equipment to Ukraine.
The right-wing populist party, which has the largest parliamentary group in the Swiss Parliament, has been reluctant to take further action against Russia, and the Swiss have strongly defended their role as mediators for rival states and as centers of humanitarian action. and for human rights. Neutrality has helped this state build this reputation.
Austria
Austria’s neutrality is a key component of this state’s modern democracy: As a condition of the Allies leaving the state and its ability to regain independence in 1955, Austria has declared itself militarily neutral.
Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has managed to maintain a good balance in terms of Austria’s position. He said the state has no plans to change its security status, while at the same time stating that military neutrality does not necessarily mean moral neutrality, saying Austria strongly condemns Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Ireland
Ireland’s neutrality has long been a bit like a gray area. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Micheal Martin described his country’s position: “We are not politically neutral, we are militarily neutral.”
The war in Ukraine has reopened the debate over what Ireland’s neutrality means. Ireland has imposed sanctions on Russia and sent non-lethal aid to Ukraine in response to the invasion.
Ireland has participated in EU combat groups, which are part of the bloc’s efforts to harmonize its military.
Cruise, who contributed to Cambridge’s work on neutrality in World War I, suggested that the more similar EU and NATO membership is, the better for the bloc to “portray itself as a geopolitical power.” ”.
Malta
The Constitution of Malta states that this small island in the Mediterranean is officially neutral, based on a policy of “non-involvement and refusal to participate in any military alliance”. A poll commissioned by the Foreign Ministry was published two weeks before the invasion of Russia and found that the majority of respondents supported neutrality and only 6 percent were against.
The Times of Malta reported on May 11 that Irish President Michael Higgins, during an official visit, emphasized the idea of ”positive” neutrality and joined Maltese President George Vella in condemning the war in Ukraine.
Cyprus
Cyprus’s relationship with the United States has grown significantly in the last decade, but any idea of NATO membership remains out of the question, at least for now.
The Cypriot president said on May 14 that it was “too early” to consider such a move, which would be met with strong opposition from Turkey.
Many Cypriots – especially those on the political left – continue to blame NATO for the de facto partition of the island after Turkish forces occupied it in the mid-1970s. At the time, Turkey was a member of NATO and the alliance did nothing to stop military action.
Loyal NATO member Britain has two sovereign military bases in Cyprus, which serve as an important country for surveillance of the east coast in cooperation with US personnel. Cyprus also wants to maintain neutrality and has allowed Russian warships to be supplied to its ports, although such activity was suspended after the start of the war in Ukraine.
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