NATO’s ally Turkey lifted its veto on Finland and Sweden’s attempt to join the Western alliance on Tuesday (June 28), after the three nations agreed to protect each other’s security, ending a week-long drama that tested allied unity against Russia. invasion of Ukraine.
The Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the agreement addressed “Turkey’s concerns, including on arms exports and the fight against terrorism.”
“Finland and Sweden undertake to fully support Turkiye (Turkey) against threats to its national security. This includes further amendments to their domestic legislation, halting PKK activities and concluding an agreement with Turkiye on extradition,” he said after talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Niinisto.
The breakthrough came after four hours of talks just before a NATO summit began in Madrid, which averted an embarrassing dead end at the gathering of 30 leaders aiming to show determination against Russia, which is now seen by the US-led alliance as a direct security threat rather than a possible opponent.
This means that Helsinki and Stockholm can move forward with their application to join the nuclear alliance, and cement what will be the biggest change in European security in decades, as the two, long-neutral Nordic countries seek protection from NATO.
Stoltenberg said that NATO’s 30 leaders would now invite Finland, which shares a 1,300 km (810 km) border with Russia, and Sweden to join NATO, and that they would be officially “invited”.