NATO countries have officially invited Sweden and Finland to join the bloc. They now have guest status.
The relevant decision was made at the summit on Wednesday, June 29. It was announced by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
"Today we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO and have agreed to sign the Accession Protocols," the statement said.
The invitation requires a ratification process in 30 parliaments: it always takes some time, but NATO expects it to happen soon enough.
Turkey opposed the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO. However, after talks in Madrid, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on June 28 with his Finnish and Swedish counterparts on a series of security measures that would allow the two Scandinavian countries to advance in their bid to join the Alliance. Turkish media published the terms agreed by Sweden and Finland. In particular, they undertake to cooperate with Turkey in the fight against terrorism and exchange intelligence. These countries must also oppose the Kurdish Workersʼ Party, recognized as a terrorist in Turkey and the EU, and its affiliates.
- Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. All 30 member states must agree, but Turkey has vetoed it.
- A tripartite meeting of representatives of Turkey, Sweden and Finland on their accession to the Alliance took place on 20 June at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Earlier, the President of Turkey opposed the accession of Finland and Sweden, calling them "shelters of terrorism."