NATO Formally Invites Sweden, Finland to Join Alliance

By Diana Glebova

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

 

NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the alliance Wednesday at a summit in Madrid, Spain, in the midst of security concerns due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

 

The announcement comes after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his veto after a weeks-long stalemate over the negotiations. The decision will now rely on final ratification from all 30 member states.

 

“The accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure. The security of Finland and Sweden is of direct importance to the Alliance, including during the accession process,” NATO said in a statement.

 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the decision “historic,” and thanked the leaders for their agreement.

 

Turkey signed a memorandum with Finland and Sweden on Tuesday confirming Erdogan would support the nomination of the two Nordic countries into the alliance.

 

The Turkish president previously raised concerns about Sweden and Finland harboring terroristic activity, stating in a Saturday phone call that Sweden should “make concrete changes in its attitude towards [the] PKK/PYD/YPG terrorist” organizations through the “fulfillment of the extradition and deportation requests.”

 

In a separate phone call, Erdogan told Finnish president Sauli Niinistö that a stated that “a mentality that disregarded terrorist organizations which posed a threat to an ally within NATO would not comply with the spirit of alliance and friendship.”

 

Turkey claims members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) orchestrated a coup attempt against the Turkish government in 2016.

 

Erdogan also requested Sweden lift its weapons embargo which was imposed after Turkey’s 2019 incursion into Syria.

 

“Our joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and [Turkey] to extend their full support against threats to each other’s security. Us becoming NATO Allies will further strengthen this commitment,” Niinistö said in a statement on the memorandum.

 

Russian missiles struck a shopping center in central Ukraine on Monday with over 1,000 people inside, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said. The EU formally accepted Ukraine as a candidate to join the bloc on Thursday, over four months after Russia’s invasion.