Secretary General Stoltenberg: Sweden and Finland have met Turkeyʼs requirements for joining NATO

Sweden and Finland have met Turkeyʼs demands to join NATO, and itʼs time to welcome them into the alliance

This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Istanbul on November 3, Reuters writes.

"Itʼs time to welcome Finland and Sweden as full members of NATO. In these dangerous times it is even more important to finalise their accession, to prevent any misunderstanding or miscalculation in Moscow," Stoltenberg said.

• Sweden and Finland have applied to join NATO in May 2022. All 30 member states must agree, but Turkey has vetoed it.
• After talks at the NATO summit in Madrid, Turkish President Recep Erdogan agreed with his Finnish and Swedish counterparts on June 28 on a series of security measures that allowed the two Scandinavian countries to move forward in their bid to join the Alliance. Turkish media published the terms agreed to by Sweden and Finland. In particular, they undertake to cooperate with Turkey in countering terrorism and exchange intelligence. Also, these countries should oppose the Kurdistan Workersʼ Party, recognized as a terrorist in the EU and Turkey, and its affiliated organizations.
• On July 4, the countries concluded negotiations with NATO and the next day signed the protocol on joining the Alliance. Now this document must be ratified by all NATO member states — after that, Sweden and Finland will become full members of the Alliance.