NATO formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance as Turkey concedes its initial objections to the two nations’ membership.
Finland, Sweden and Turkey reached an agreement June 29 during this year’s NATO summit in Madrid which will allow for the membership process for the two Nordic countries to proceed, The New York Times reported.
“Congratulations to Finland, Sweden and Turkey on signing a trilateral memorandum – a crucial step towards a NATO invite to Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our alliance and bolster our collective security – and a great way to begin the Summit,” President Joe Biden said in a June 28 post on Twitter.
Finland and Sweden had remained neutral and unaligned for decades. The two countries decided to join the alliance amidst growing concerns over Russia's actions, The New York Times reported. Despite past objections to the new potential members, Turkey conceded June 28.
Finland and Sweden's support of Kurdish armed groups, in particular PKK, caused Turkey’s initial opposition, Al Jazeera reported June 29. The PKK has been designated a terrorist group in Turkey, the E.U. and the U.S. An ongoing conflict between the Turkish state and PKK has reportedly resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
Turkey had remained in opposition due to concerns over Sweden harboring PKK members as well as the two countries' bans on arms sales to Turkey, Al Jazeera reported.
The trilateral agreement was reached and includes Sweden working on Turkish extradition requests of PKK suspects. Sweden and Finland have agreed to lift their restrictions on weapons sales to Turkey, according to Al Jazeera.
Turkey was not able to seal the deal on their long-standing request for American F-16 fighter jets. The sale of the fighter jets to Turkey had been blocked by the U.S. after Turkey purchased the S-400 missile defense system from Russia in 2017, Al Jazeera reported. However, Turkish President Erdogan reportedly plans to push President Joe Biden on a deal for the jets when they meet during the summit.
This could be the most significant expansion to the alliance in decades, The New York Times reported. Both countries bring geographical strategic benefits to NATO as Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia and is equipped with a modern army. Additionally, Sweden’s location enables it to control the entrance to the Baltic Sea.
