Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – NATO issued today a formal invitation to Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, with the move coming a day after the two Nordic countries reached an agreement with Turkey, who had initially opposed their bid to join the alliance.
Turkey, Finland, and Sweden signed yesterday a trilateral memorandum, paving the way for the two Nordic countries’ NATO membership. The three countries met at the NATO summit in Madrid, with the presence of the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, to address Turkey’s security concerns.
Ankara had initially objected to Sweden and Finland’s bid to join NATO due to the two countries’ stance on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PPK) and other groups that the Turkish government considers terrorist organizations
The Turkish presidency said on Tuesday that the two Nordic countries agreed “to fully cooperate with Turkey in its fight” against PPK and its affiliates. At Ankara’s request, Finland and Sweden also agreed to lift their ban on the sales of some weapons to Turkey.
“I strongly welcome the signing of this trilateral memorandum,” Stoltenberg said, praising the “constructive approach” the three countries have shown during the negotiations.
Read also: Diplomatic Missions in Morocco Condemn Russia’s ‘Weaponization’ of Food
He also highlighted that Finnish and Swedish NATO memberships come to the benefit of Finland and Sweden, NATO, and Europe’s security.
“The accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure,” stressed NATO in a press release.
The war in Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to drop their long-held history of military non-alignment and apply to join the 30-member western defensive alliance.
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has changed neighboring countries’ stance toward joining military alliances, which can provide protection in case of a security crisis.
In a phone call with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Stoltenberg “stressed the importance of a powerful missile defense system for Ukraine to prevent Russian terrorist attacks,” Zelenskyy said on Twitter.
