The three countries signed a joint memorandum after hours of NATO-mediated talks on Tuesday, ending a six-week veto by Ankara linked to terrorism concerns. The agreement on the eve of the annual NATO summit in Madrid ends a controversy that has threatened to overshadow an event seen as showing unity against Russia, support for Ukraine and the alliance’s ten-year “strategic idea” to renew its approach. for the defense of Eastern Europe. allies. “Our foreign ministers have signed a tripartite memorandum, which confirms that Turkey at this week’s Madrid summit will support the invitation of Finland and Sweden to join NATO,” said Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. “The specific steps of our NATO membership will be agreed by NATO allies in the next two days, but this decision is now imminent.” A Turkish official has said that the Nordic countries have agreed not to provide support to Kurdish militias in Syria, which Ankara considers terrorists – a move that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will trumpet as a political victory inside Turkey ahead of elections. from June next year. The official said they also agreed to end support for the Gulen movement, an Islamic sect that Turkey accuses of orchestrating a violent coup attempt in 2016. Last-minute talks between Niinistö, Erdoğan, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg focused on finding an agreement to allay Turkey’s concerns that the Nordic countries were too lenient with extremist groups. “Our common memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Turkey to extend their full support to each other’s security threats. “Becoming an ally in NATO will further strengthen this commitment,” Niinistö said. Stoltenberg said the agreement “responds to Turkey’s concerns, including arms exports and the fight against terrorism”. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has said that Swedish Deputy Foreign Minister Robert Reidberg will travel to Ankara on Wednesday for “comprehensive” talks. Speaking before the meeting, Erdogan warned that he wanted to see results, not “empty talk”, during his meeting with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts. Finland and Sweden applied to join the alliance in May in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a process that NATO officials said was likely to be approved in weeks. But Turkey – in NATO since 1952 – has in fact vetoed its efforts, arguing that the Nordic countries were not tough enough on groups affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militia that has fought the Turkish state. for decades and has been designated a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.

Ankara has also opposed their support for a Syrian Kurdish militia with close ties to the PKK that has served as the backbone of the US-led campaign against ISIS. Erdogan spoke by telephone with Joe Biden before leaving for Madrid and was also expected to have a face-to-face meeting with the US president on the sidelines of the summit. In a statement Tuesday, Biden welcomed the agreement between Turkey, Finland and Sweden and said it paved the way for NATO forces to invite the Scandinavian couple to join the alliance at this week’s Madrid summit. “Their participation will strengthen NATO’s collective security and benefit the entire transatlantic alliance. “I look forward to working with NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, our allies and Congress to ensure that we can quickly welcome them into our alliance,” he said. Some Western officials believe that the Turkish leader has tried to organize the issue of Sweden and Finland joining NATO to secure commitments from Washington, especially in connection with Ankara’s push to buy new US-made F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits for existing aircraft. However, while the Biden government has signaled its support for the sale, US officials say it is up to the US Congress to sign the deal – and argue that Turkey’s strong opposition to Sweden and Finland’s claims did not help the case. of. already skeptical Capitol. Erdogan said on Tuesday that Ankara wanted faster progress in its request for F-16s and accused the United States of “stagnation tactics”.