A trilateral agreement was struck by the leaders of Turkey, Sweden, and Finland. It will make it easier for the two Nordic nations to join NATO and remove Istanbul’s objections to the application.
Prior to President Joe Biden’s scheduled meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the agreement on Tuesday evening.
I am happy to announce that we have reached an agreement that will allow Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO,’ Stoltenberg said.
“A pact has been agreed by Turkey, Finland, and Sweden that addresses Turkey’s concerns, especially those related to arms exports and the battle against terrorism,” he continued.
The following few days will be used to iron out the details.
However, Turkey said that it had “received what it sought,” including “complete collaboration… in the fight against” the rebel organizations.
Sauli Niinistö, the president of Finland, stated in a statement that “our joint memorandum highlights the resolve of Finland, Sweden, and Türkiye to provide their full support against threats to each other’s security.”
Erdogan opposed Finland and Sweden’s membership applications because he wants them to modify their position on Kurdish rebel organizations that Turkey views as terrorist organizations.
Erdogan and Biden spoke on Tuesday morning.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, stated earlier on Tuesday that the United States thought Finland and Sweden had made “substantial progress” in resolving Turkey’s concerns.
Furthermore, we are convinced that Turkey’s reservations will be adequately addressed in a bilateral discussion and that they will eventually join the alliance.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland submitted applications to join NATO.
Since former Soviet bloc nations joined the alliance in 1999, this is the alliance’s largest expansion.