Biden praises Erdoğan for allowing Finland, Sweden to join NATO
On Wednesday, President Biden praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for raising objections to Sweden’s and Finland’s bid to join NATO.
“I would especially like to thank you for what you did to put together the situation with regard to Finland and Sweden, and all the incredible work you are doing to try to get out of Ukraine,” Biden told Erdoğan during a one-off conference. a meeting alongside a NATO summit in Madrid. “You’re doing a good job.”
Erdoğan said he believed both leaders “will be able to return to our countries with full satisfaction” after the summit. He also praised Biden for his leadership and called it “crucial to strengthening NATO for the future.”
The meeting between the two leaders took place a day after Turkey agreed to drop its objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, paving the way for a major expansion of the alliance. NATO formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance earlier Wednesday, after the two countries had expressed interest in joining Russia in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The three countries agreed on Tuesday to sign a memorandum deepening their cooperation against terrorism, which raised Turkey’s concerns that the two Nordic countries are not doing enough to defeat the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization of Turkey, USA. and other.
There has also been widespread speculation that the United States could announce an agreement to sell upgraded F-16 fighter jets to Turkey as part of its effort to persuade Ankara to support the accession of Sweden and Finland.
A senior US defense official signaled on Wednesday that the United States is willing to sell the F-16 to Turkey.
“The United States supports Turkey’s modernization of its navy because it is a contribution to NATO security and thus American security,” Celeste Wallander, Deputy Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, said during a briefing with reporters.
Still, senior administration officials told reporters on Wednesday that the United States did not offer Turkey concessions to drop its objections to the two Nordic countries joining the alliance.
Turkey’s decision to allow Finland and Sweden to join the alliance is seen as an achievement for Biden, who publicly and loudly supported NATO’s expansion at a White House event with the leaders of the two Nordic countries as early as May.
Officials from the Biden administration have been in contact with Turkey, Sweden and Finland behind the scenes. Biden held a telephone conversation with Erdoğan on Tuesday – his first one-on-one engagement with the Turkish president in several months – as a sign that negotiations were progressing.