Turkey lifts objections to Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the world’s most powerful military alliance reached a deal to admit Sweden and Finland after resolving the concerns of holdout Turkey.

The push to add Sweden and Finland comes as Russia’s assault on Ukraine stokes fears of other countries in the region.

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would not approve their applications.

 The three countries’ foreign ministers signed a memorandum to confirm that Turkey will back Sweden and Finland’s NATO bids during a summit in Madrid this week, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement.

“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 leader said.

“Us becoming NATO allies will further strengthen this commitment,” he added.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted Finland and Sweden to apply to join NATO.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is against the accession of the two Nordic countries because of what he called their support for "terrorist organizations," a reference to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Kurdish militia People's Defense Units (YPG) in Syria.

The Turkish leader has also called on Sweden and Finland to lift arms embargos imposed against Turkey in 2019 over Ankara's military offensive in Syria.

Erdogan indicated on June 25 that no progress had been made in Sweden's bid to join NATO, urging Stockholm to take "concrete actions" to meet Ankara's concerns, his office said.

Turkish officials said Ankara does not view the summit as a final deadline for resolving its objections.