The three countries signed on the sidelines of the summit of leaders of the Atlantic Alliance, held in Madrid
File photo of US Secretary of State Antony BlinkenBEE/ROBERT GHEMENT | EFE extension
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday expressed his belief that Finland and Sweden will soon be accepted as NATO members despite doubts expressed by Turkey.
“I am convinced that Finland and Sweden will soon be formally welcomed as (NATO) members. Since the NATO summit in Madrid, both countries have taken important concrete steps to meet their commitments, including those related to the security concerns of our ally. Turkey,” Blinken said during a three-way meeting in Washington with his Swedish counterparts, Tobias Billstrom, and Finn, Pekka Haavisto, reported by Swedish public television SVT.
On the sidelines of the summit of leaders of the Atlantic Alliance, held in Madrid, the three countries signed an agreement with which Ankara promised to withdraw its veto in exchange for a series of concessions from Helsinki and Stockholm, starting with the delivery of individuals wanted by Turkey for their membership of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization by the Turkish government, as well as for the development of military relations.
Billstrom, for his part, thanked Blinken for the United States’ commitment to European security, his financial support for Ukraine and his support for the requests of Finland and Sweden. “Our NATO membership processes are progressing well. We are eager to join and contribute to the alliance,” said the minister.
On the other hand, Finland is considering granting export permits for some weapons to Turkey, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen also said on Thursday during talks on the Nordic country’s candidacy for NATO in Ankara.
Finland may process some export applications “in the near future,” Kaikkonen told Finnish radio station YLE. However, the weapons would not have been delivered without careful checks, the minister added, following in Sweden’s footsteps in this regard.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, for his part, stressed the need for Sweden and Finland to help the Turkish military in its modernization process as a prerequisite for joining the Atlantic Alliance, according to the official Turkish news agency , Anatolia, regarding the press conference held afterwards by both ministers.
