American media highlights a memorandum written between Türkiye, Finland, Sweden on Nordic countries’ NATO bid
WASHINGTON
US media emphasized the importance of a tripartite memorandum signed between Turkey, Finland and Sweden on the Nordic countries’ applications for NATO membership on Tuesday after four-way talks in Madrid.
CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post – three of the leading news organizations in the United States – covered the memorandum on their websites.
“Turkey has agreed to support Finland’s and Sweden’s membership of NATO, paving the way for the alliance to grow,” the Washington Post reported.
“NATO leaders will formally invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance on Wednesday after Turkey lifted its veto on their membership,” New York Times quoted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The memorandum will “pave the way for what would be one of the most significant expansions of the alliance in decades.”
CNN said: “Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Tuesday that Turkey has agreed to support Finland’s and Sweden’s offer of NATO membership, which removes a major obstacle for the two countries to join the alliance.”
Under the headline “Turkey lifts opposition to Finland, Sweden’s accession to NATO”, Fox News hailed the memorandum as a “momentary breakthrough.”
Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed the memorandum after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Stoltenberg, Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson met to discuss the issue and Ankara’s related concerns.
The memorandum was signed by the foreign ministers of the three countries – Mevlut Cavusoglu from Turkey, Finland’s Pekka Haavisto and Sweden’s Ann Linde – in the presence of all three leaders and Stoltenberg.
After a signing ceremony, the NATO chief said at a press conference that he was “pleased” to announce that the three nations had reached an agreement that would pave the way for the Nordic countries to join the military alliance.
* Written by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara
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