The North Atlantic Council has officially begun the process of Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
On Wednesday, June 29, NATO officially began the process of Finland and Sweden joining the alliance. This was preceded by lengthy negotiations with Turkey, which slowed down the process of integration of the Scandinavian countries. As a result, Turkey, Sweden and Finland reached special agreements. What has Ankara done to bargain?
Turkish question
Finland and Sweden decided to renounce their neutral status and join NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey opposed it. Both countries applied to join NATO on May 18, but Turkey blocked until the last moment the consideration of their applications. The Turkish authorities set certain conditions under which they agreed to approve the entry of Finland and Sweden. These include the recognition of these countries by the Kurdistan Workers ’Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization, as well as the removal of restrictions imposed on Ankara due to the purchase of Russian S-400 systems in 2019.
Turkey has accused the two countries of supporting Kurdish groups. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in May that Finland and Sweden had no “clear and open attitude towards terrorist organizations” and wondered how trustworthy these countries could be.
Memorandum
On June 28, the leaders of Turkey, Finland and Sweden agreed to a tripartite memorandum the military alliance said in a statement addressing Turkey’s “legitimate security concerns”. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the parties ’“ constructive approach ”during the talks.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said with Finland they had signed a “very good agreement” with Turkey. At the meeting, he said, he told Erdogan what amendments to Sweden’s terrorism law would take effect in July. “And, of course, we will continue the fight against terrorism and, as NATO members, we will do so in closer cooperation with Turkey,” the Swedish prime minister said.
Finland and Sweden have agreed to “suppress the activities” of the PKK and other entities that Turkey considers terrorist. Sweden and Finland have also vowed not to support the Syrian Kurdish Self-Defense Forces (YPG), which is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, as well as Fethullah Gülen’s FETO movement.
“Finland and Sweden are very determined to reject and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the memorandum said. The President of Turkey also said that both countries have agreed to lift the arms embargo on Turkey, imposed in response to Ankara’s actions in Syria in 2019.
“Turkey got what it wanted,” Turkish authorities said in a statement.
Signal for Russia
The NATO Secretary-General said the rapid consideration of applications from Finland and Sweden should be a signal to Russia. “This is a very clear signal to Moscow that the doors of NATO are open,” Stoltenberg said. He noted that countries without outside pressure should decide for themselves whether they want to join the alliance.
When asked when Finland and Sweden will join NATO, he said he could not predict when this process would end, as the agreement on their membership must be ratified by all 30 member countries of the alliance. “I know that some parliaments have already started the process, so I think there is a strong desire among the allies to ratify (NATO accession) as soon as possible,” he added.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.