Foreign Ministry: NATO enlargement with Sweden, Finland makes Croatia stronger

The accession of Sweden and Finland will significantly contribute to "the strength of the alliance and Europe's security in times of the biggest security crisis in the last few decades," the ministry said.

The accession protocols were signed on Croatia's behalf by its permanent representative to NATO, Mario Nobilo.

They mean that Sweden and Finland can now attend NATO meetings and have greater access to intelligence data but until their ratification, they will not yet be protected by NATO's defence clause under which an attack on one ally is an attack on all. The ratification is expected to take one year.

"This is truly an historic moment," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on this occasion. "With 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger. And our people will be even safer, as we face the biggest security crisis in decades."