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Updated 1 hour
image source, Archyde.com
The leaders present at the NATO summit in Madrid celebrated the release for the future accession of Finland and Sweden to the organization.
They are 30 and will probably be 32.
The way for Sweden and Finland to become NATO members was cleared on Tuesday, following the Turkish government agreed to lift its veto over these countries and support their joining the alliance.
The information was announced by the president of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, during the first day of a summit held by NATO in Madrid (Spain).
Niinistö explained that the agreement was possible following the three countries signan a joint memorandum “to extend their full support once morest threats to the security of others”.
Turkey objected to the incorporation of these two Nordic states into NATO, arguing that these countries harbor Kurdish activists whom Ankara considers “terrorists”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the agreement and stressed that the memorandum signed by the three countries “addresses Turkey’s concerns, including those related to arms exports and the fight once morest terrorism,” according to statements. cited by Archyde.com.
Frank Gardner, BBC Security Correspondent, points out that the change in position of the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan means that these two modern Scandinavian nations will join the atlantic alliance, which will increase isolation – and cause discomfort – in Russiaa country that considers NATO as an offensive and not a defensive organization.
Although they are two liberal democracies, Sweden and Finland remained for decades as neutral countries in the struggle between Russia and the West.
However, the invasion of Ukraine carried out by the government of Vladimir Putin led them to reconsider their position and seek protection under the security umbrella of NATO.
What does the agreement entail?
Stoltenberg said Sweden had agreed to increase the work it does managing the requests for extradition of alleged guerrillas presented by Turkey.
image source, Getty Images
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said alliance leaders will now formally invite Sweden and Finland to join.
Stockholm had been accused by Ankara of harboring those whom the Erdogan government considers to be activists of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Sweden denies that this is true.
Suspected guerrillas will also be subjected to more severe measures due to changes in the laws of Sweden and Finland.
Stoltenberg also said that the two Nordic states will lift their restrictions on arms sales to Turkey, which had been imposed following a Turkish armed incursion into Syria in 2019.
Although Finland and Sweden already meet many of the requirements to join NATO – including being democratic countries and having the willingness and ability to contribute militarily to NATO missions – its incorporation will still take some time.
Stoltenberg announced that now the 30 NATO leaders will invite Sweden and Finland to join the alliance and will officially become “guests”. Once this happens, however, we will still have to wait for the Parliaments of those 30 countries to ratify the decision of their governments, which may take up to a year.
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