FINLAND, SWEDEN SET TO JOIN NATO AFTER TURKEY DROPS VETO

Wed 29 June 2022:

After the three countries pledged to defend each other’s security, NATO ally Turkey removed its veto on Finland and Sweden’s application to join the Western alliance, putting an end to a drama that lasted weeks and tested allied cohesion in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The breakthrough came on Tuesday after four hours of talks just before a NATO summit began in Madrid.

With the veto lifted, Helsinki and Stockholm can move on with their application to join the military alliance, solidifying what is expected to be the largest change in European security in decades as the two, historically neutral Nordic countries, seek NATO protection.

Following discussions between the NATO chief, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, the agreement was confirmed by both the Turkish presidency and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in separate announcements.

Terms of the deal

According to Stoltenberg, the agreement required Sweden to work more actively on Turkish extradition requests and required both Sweden and Finland to alter their laws to take a more restrictive stance on those who Ankara deemed to be threats.

Additionally, Stoltenberg declared that Sweden and Finland would end their bans on supplying weapons to Turkey.

Turkey has expressed grave concerns that the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which started using weapons against the Turkish government in 1984, has been hiding out in Sweden. The allegation has been refuted by Stockholm.

The Turkish presidency statement on Tuesday said the four-way agreement meant: “Full cooperation with Turkey in the fight against the PKK and its affiliates”.

It also said Sweden and Finland were “demonstrating solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”.

Stoltenberg said NATO’s 30 leaders would now invite Finland, which shares a 1,300km (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden to join NATO and that they would become official “invitees”.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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