MADRID: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lifted his opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO following crunch talks with the leaders of the two Nordic countries in Madrid.
Erdogan had stubbornly refused to green light the applications from the Nordic pair — lodged in response to Russia s war on Ukraine — despite calls from his NATO allies to clear the path for them to enter.
Turkey could essentially veto Finland and Sweden from joining NATO since all members must agree to taking on new members.
But late on Tuesday, Erdogan s office said it had agreed to back their drives to join, saying Ankara had “got what it wanted”.
“Turkey has made significant gains in the fight against terrorist organisations,” the office said ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid.
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Ankara had accused Finland and especially Sweden of offering a safe haven to Kurdish militants who have been waging decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.
The two Nordic countries also agreed to lift their embargoes on weapons deliveries to Turkey, which were imposed in response to Ankara s 2019 military incursion into Syria.
Turkey signed a memorandum with Finland and Sweden on Tuesday supporting the invitation for the Nordic countries to become members of NATO, the Finnish presidency said.
NATO allies including Britain hailed the agreement.
