A last-minute agreement was reached between Turkey, Finland and Sweden, allowing the two Scandinavian countries to become members of NATO on the eve of the military alliance’s summit in Madrid.
NATO says a tripartite agreement was reached at a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finnish President Sauli Niiniste and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson in the Spanish capital.
After a period of intense negotiations, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday night: “I am pleased to announce that we already have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
“Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum addressing Turkey’s concerns, including about arms exports and the fight against terrorism,” he added.
Anderson hailed the deal as a “very good deal”, dismissing allegations that it had given too much to Erdogan to persuade him to relinquish his veto.
“Taking the next step towards full NATO membership is, of course, important for Sweden and Finland. But this is also a very important step for NATO, because our countries will be security providers within NATO, “she told AFP.
Anderson said she had shown the Turkish leader the changes in Swedish anti-terrorism legislation that are due to take effect next month.
“And, of course, we will continue our fight against terrorism, and because NATO members do so in closer cooperation with Turkey,” said the Swedish prime minister.
Sweden and Finland have historically refused to seek NATO membership, in part because of mixed public opinion and caution over their security relations with Russia. But that changed dramatically after Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine in February, prompting both sides to seek accession.
This means that Swedish and Finnish leaders will be able to attend the NATO summit on Wednesday and Thursday as invited, which means that their countries are on a solid path to full membership, subject only to ratification by member states. This is considered a technical step.
Turkey has said it will block requests from Sweden and Finland unless it receives satisfactory assurances that the Scandinavian countries are ready to pay attention to what it sees as support for Kurdish groups it identifies as terrorist organizations, in particular the Workers’ Party. Kurdistan (PKK).
As NATO acts by consensus, it is possible that a country in the 30-member military alliance will block implementation, giving Ankara a lever of influence when the two countries tried to join earlier this year.
Turkey “got what it wanted” from Sweden and Finland before agreeing to support their bid to join NATO, Erdogan’s office said on Tuesday. “Turkey has made significant progress in the fight against terrorist organizations,” the Turkish statement said, adding: “Turkey got what it wanted.”
The text of the memorandum, signed by all three leaders, said Finland and Sweden would “give their full support” to Turkey on national security issues.
The Scandinavian countries have said they have confirmed that the PKK is a banned organization and, as a key concession, “will not provide support” to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) and the People’s Protection Groups (YPG), which have been active in fighting Islamic State in Syria. Finland and Sweden confirmed in the deal that there were no national arms embargoes related to Turkey’s sales, and the three countries said they would work together on extradition requests.
Sweden is home to 100,000 Kurdish refugees, and Turkey has called for the extradition of people it says are linked to the PKK or the Syrian YPG.
Stoltenberg says Finland and Sweden have agreed to “further amend their domestic legislation” to give Turkey the counter-terrorism guarantees it has sought, and will “push the PKK’s actions” and “reach an agreement with Turkey for extradition. “
US President Joe Biden congratulated the three countries on securing the deal, which he described as “an important step towards an invitation to NATO in Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our alliance and strengthen our collective security”.
Boris Johnson welcomed the message, tweeting: “Fantastic news when we start the NATO summit. The membership of Sweden and Finland will make our brilliant union stronger and safer.
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