Turkey withdraws opposition to Finland and Sweden's NATO bid
A country must be approved by all 30 NATO members to be admitted into the military alliance
A country must be approved by all 30 NATO members to be admitted into the military alliance
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance struck an agreement to enter Sweden and Finland after settling Turkey's objections.
A memorandum was signed on the eve of the military alliance’s summit in Madrid between Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's President Sauli Niinistö, and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
“Our joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden, and Turkey to extend their full support against threats to each other’s security,” the Finnish President said in a statement.
“Us becoming NATO allies will further strengthen this commitment,” Niinistö said.
Sweden and Finland have previously rejected to apply for Nato membership, owing to a mix of popular sentiment and concern over their security ties with Russia.