News Bulletin: Sweden and Finland have made it clear that they will join NATO after negotiations with Turkey, prior to the meeting between Biden and Erdogan on Wednesday.
- Leaders from Turkey, Sweden and Finland have signed a trilateral agreement that paves the way for two Scandinavian countries to join NATO.
- NATO Secretary-General Jason Stoltenberg Announces Contract
- “We are pleased to announce that Finland and Sweden have signed an agreement to pave the way for NATO,” said Stoltemberg.
- Turkey opposed Finland and Sweden’s position on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers to be terrorists.
- Biden meeting with Turkish President on Wednesday
Leaders from Turkey, Sweden and Finland have signed a trilateral agreement that paves the way for the two Scandinavian countries to join NATO and removes Istanbul’s objections to the application.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltemberg announced the agreement on Tuesday night ahead of a meeting between President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We are pleased to announce that Finland and Sweden have signed an agreement to pave the way for NATO,” said Stoltemberg.
“Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum of understanding to address Turkey’s concerns, such as arms exports and the war on terror,” he added.
Details will be resolved in the next few days.
“Our Memorandum of Understanding emphasizes Finland, Sweden and Turkey’s commitment to expand their full support for each other’s security threats,” Sauri Ninist Finish said in a statement. ..
President Joe Biden meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday
Prime Minister Erdogan opposed Finland and Sweden’s application for participation because he wanted Turkey to change its position on what Kurdish rebel groups consider to be terrorists.
Biden spoke with Erdogan on Monday night.
Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier Tuesday that the United States believes Finland and Sweden have taken an important step in addressing Turkey’s concerns. We also believe and are confident that they will eventually become members of the alliance and that Turkey’s concerns will be fully addressed in terms of bilateral meetings.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led Sweden and Finland to apply for NATO membership.
This is the largest expansion of the alliance since the former Soviet Union joined the group in 1999.