On Tuesday evening, Finnish President Sauli Ninisto announced that Turkey would support the integration of Finland and Sweden into NATO. The announcement came after he and the Swedish Prime Minister met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A U.S. official later revealed that President Joe Biden was involved in “behind-the-scenes” talks between the two Nordic countries and Turkey.
Ahead of the NATO summit, Finnish President Sauli Ninisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.
As a result of this meeting, at this week’s (NATO) summit in Madrid, Turkey, our Foreign Ministers signed a tripartite agreement in support of making Finland and Sweden members of NATO, “said Finnish President Sauli Ninisto.
“The concrete steps we take to join NATO will be accepted by NATO allies in the next two days, but the decision is immediate,” Ninisto said.
The presidential statement added that Finland takes Turkey’s concerns about the terrorist threat seriously and “condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson welcomed the decision, saying Ankara’s agreement to join Sweden and Finland in NATO would strengthen the North Atlantic alliance.
“The commitment to full NATO membership is, of course, important for Sweden and Finland, but it is also a very important step for NATO because our countries will be the security providers within NATO,” Anderson told AFP.
US official: Joe Biden took part in the talks
A senior U.S. official said on Tuesday that he supported US President Joe Biden’s agreement to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO, and was involved in “behind-the-scenes” talks between the two Nordic countries and Turkey. Reuters.
The official, who spoke to reporters anonymously, spoke to Recep Tayyip Erdogan about NATO earlier Tuesday at the request of the two candidate countries.
The official quoted Turkey as not insisting that demands for sophisticated US aircraft be included in the talks.
The meeting between Joe Biden and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to take place on Wednesday following the NATO summit.
Stoltenberg: “I am pleased to announce that we have a contract.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday night that Sweden and Finland would be officially invited to join the North Atlantic Alliance after the NATO summit at the Madrid summit lifted its veto on Turkey’s access on Tuesday night.
“I am pleased to announce that we have an agreement that will pave the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO,” he said, adding that it “responds to Turkey’s concerns about arms exports and the fight against terrorism.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday night that the merger of Finland and Sweden into NATO by removing Turkey’s veto would make the alliance “stronger and safer”. “This is great news for the start of the NATO summit,” he said on Twitter.
“The connection between Sweden and Finland will make our wonderful alliance stronger and safer,” he continued.
Erdogan: “Turkey got what it wanted”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has received “full cooperation” from Finland and Sweden against Kurdish PKK militants and their allies, the Turkish president said in a statement issued Tuesday night, according to Agerpres.
After more than three hours of talks in Madrid on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the summit, Turkey agreed to a NATO alliance between the two Nordic countries.
A statement from Turkey’s Presidential Office said, “Turkey has achieved what it set out to do. The agreement was signed in front of cameras by the diplomatic leaders of the three countries on Tuesday night.
Both candidate countries have pledged to “fully cooperate with Turkey in the fight” against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies.
Finland and Sweden pledge to “show solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism in all its forms.” Similarly, Finland and Sweden agreed not to impose restrictions or sanctions on the defense industry, the Turkish president continued.
The Turkish president added that the two Nordic countries would take “decisive action to extradite criminal terrorists” from their territories and to “ban the fundraising and recruitment activities of the PKK and its affiliates.”
He also welcomed the recognition of President Erdogan’s US-based pastor Fethullah Gulen’s movement as a terrorist organization, such as the PKK or YPG, which he blamed for the 2016 coup attempt. He also believes that this is a very important step in the international dimension of Turkey’s war on terror.
(The text has been updated and supplemented with the involvement of President Joe Biden in negotiations with NATO and Turkey on the position.)
Author: B.P.
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