Biden congratulates Türkiye, Sweden, Finland on NATO memorandum

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden congratulated Türkiye, Sweden and Finland on Tuesday after the three nations agreed on a memorandum that paved the way for the two Nordic nations' accession to NATO.

"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," Biden wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson met to discuss the Nordic nations' membership and Ankara’s concerns.

It was followed by the signing of a memorandum between the three nations addressing one another's concerns in joining the alliance.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join the alliance last month, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine. But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups.

In line with the trilateral memorandum, Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the PKK-affiliated YPG/PYD, or FETO and Ankara extends full support to Finland and Sweden against threats to their national security.

In addition, the three nations confirm that now there are no national arms embargoes in place between them.