Turkey has signed a trilateral memorandum agreement after obtaining concessions on demands it put forward in May. The country had previously blocked the Nordic nations from joining the military alliance due to concerns over terrorism and arms exports.
Finland and Sweden have had long-standing neutrality, so this move cements a huge shift in the direction of European security forever.
Turkey initially opposed the Nordic countries’ bid to join the alliance, shocking its NATO allies. Since Nato is based on consensus, Turkey’s lack of support had the power to reject their bid for entry unless its demands were met.
The country had a list of objections due to Finland and Sweden’s support of Kurdish militant groups such as the PKK, and their respective bans on arms export to Turkey. Turkey also raised concerns about Sweden harbouring PKK members which the country vehemently denied.
After four hours of talks before the Nato summit in Spain this Wednesday, Turkey officially lifted its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join Nato, ending a weeks-long dispute that tested the unity of the alliance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Nato said a trilateral deal had been reached at a meeting between Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, and the Swedish prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, in the Spanish capital.
It is still going to take months before the Nordic countries’ accession to Nato as their entry must be ratified by all of the member states. Russia continues to firmly oppose the move by Finland and Sweden, viewing it as further encroachment of the transatlantic alliance toward Russian territory.
Swedish Prime Minister Andersson hailed the breakthrough as “a very good agreement.”
The Nordic countries historically declined to seek Nato membership due to mixed public opinion and caution around the security relationship with Russia. However, this changed when Russia launched its unprovoked attack on Ukraine, prompting both countries to bid for membership.
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