Madrid, 29 June 2022 (TDI): The signing of a trilateral memorandum will strengthen NATO’s collective security and benefit the entire Transatlantic Alliance.
The US President, Joe Biden delivered these remarks on signing the historic agreement between Finland, Turkiye, and Sweden.
In addition, President Biden congratulated Turkey, Sweden, and Finland on agreeing to the NATO Summit. He said these states had decided to strengthen their alliance and bolster collective security.
Congratulations to Finland, Sweden, and Turkey on signing a trilateral memorandum – a crucial step towards a NATO invite to Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our Alliance and bolster our collective security – and a great way to begin the Summit. pic.twitter.com/ug47DhRDGl
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 28, 2022
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the United States, Antony J. Blinken, also welcomed Finland and Sweden on behalf of the US for taking an important step toward joining NATO.
The leaders of NATO countries and allies gathered in Madrid to discuss the future of their alliance. Under the auspices of NATO, the President of Turkiye, the President of Finland, and the Prime Minister of Sweden met in Madrid.
In the meeting, the leaders of the states agreed upon a trilateral memorandum, paving the way for Finland and Sweden’s membership in NATO. In addition, the US has already welcomed new members to the NATO alliance.
The Trilateral Memorandum
The respective Foreign Ministers signed the memorandum between the states in the presence of all three national leaders and the Secretary-General of NATO.
Additionally, the main agenda of the agreement is to highlight Turkiye’s concerns regarding arms exports and the fight against terrorism.
Furthermore, the text of the memorandum states that Sweden and Finland will ‘extend their full support to Turkiye in matters of national security.
On the other hand, Finland and Sweden confirmed that there were no national arms embargoes about sales to Turkiye. All three nations also pledged to cooperate on extradition requests.
The memorandum ended a six-week-long veto by Turkiye concerning the membership of the Nordic states.
Background of Turkiye’s Concerns
Earlier, Ankara showed concerns over Sweden’s backing of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (P.K.K.), resulting in vetoing the Nordic Countries’ NATO bids.
P.K.K. is known for attacking non-military targets and killing civilians in Turkey, which makes it outlawed. It has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
NATO works by consensus. Therefore, Turkiye’s veto blocking the applications of the Nordic states became a hurdle for them to join earlier this year.
However, this agreement brings the alliance back on track. Also, the statement by the White House also mentions, “As we begin this historic NATO Summit in Madrid, our Alliance is stronger, more united, and more resolute than ever.”
