NATO | The meeting between Finland, Sweden and Turkey lasted almost four hours – This is how the day of negotiations in Madrid progressed

Madrid

Turkey supports inviting Finland and Sweden to join NATO at this week’s Madrid Summit. The node opened at the summit after four hours of negotiations between the countries.

The President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö according to the statement, concrete steps for joining NATO will be agreed among NATO allies over the next two days in Madrid.

“I am delighted that this stage on Finland’s journey towards NATO membership has been completed. I am now looking forward to fruitful discussions about Finland’s role in NATO with our future allies here in Madrid, ”Niinistö said in a statement.

Niinistö said late in his press conference that a statement from current NATO members is expected next, in which Finland will receive an official invitation to become a member. Finland will invitee that is, an observer member of NATO who opens the door to more meetings.

After that, accession negotiations will begin, for which an accession protocol will be drawn up. It is ratified by each member state. According to Niinistö, the Turkish delegation also promised that ratification would proceed swiftly.

President Niinistö, Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Anderssonin and the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğanin the meeting began late in the afternoon on Tuesday at the Madrid Exhibition Center.

The Secretary General of NATO was also present at the meeting Jens Stoltenberg and the foreign ministers of the countries.

“The discussions were close, even tight, not in tone but in substance,” Niinistö said.

After the meeting, the foreign ministers signed a “memorandum of understanding”, which, according to Niinistö’s statement, emphasizes that Finland, Sweden and Turkey undertake to give each other full support against each other’s security threats.

FinlandSweden and Turkey began preparations for the document at preparatory meetings in Brussels.

The document addresses Turkey’s concerns regarding terrorism and arms exports.

According to Niinistö, Finland has always taken Turkey’s concerns seriously.

“Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms. As a member of NATO, Finland is fully committed to the documents and policies of NATO’s counter-terrorism work, ”Niinistö emphasized in a statement.

During the negotiations, it had become clear to the Finnish negotiators that the rise of terrorism was not exclusively related to Finland and Sweden, but that Turkey had always tried to bring the matter to NATO’s agenda at the Madrid meeting.

Turkey has also succeeded, as current NATO members are due to discuss the issue in a separate session on Thursday.

“Our pain points are related to intra-union discussions,” HS is told.

“Little by little, it became clear that there were parallel discussions within the alliance.”

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has also repeatedly emphasized in various briefings that no other NATO member state has suffered as much from terrorism as Turkey.

Turkey defines terrorism differently than in Finland or most NATO countries are used and consider different organizations to be terrorist than Finland.

Finland adheres to the EU’s definition of the PKK as a terrorist organization. The United States also defines the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Erdoğan and the President of the United States Joe Biden is scheduled to meet on Wednesday.

Turkey considers the Kurdish actors in Northern Syria, the PKK’s sister party PYD, and its combat division YPG to be terrorists in its territory. The EU has not interpreted them as terrorist, nor has Finland made such an interpretation, nor does it intend to do so in the tripartite document under preparation. Instead, Finland condemns all terrorist attacks.

In addition, Turkey believes that the failure of the 2016 coup attempt was due to Fethullah Gülenin a movement they call Feto. Finland does not consider it terrorist either, nor does it even call it that, because the abbreviation includes a presumption that the movement in question is terrorist.

Turkey has placed particular emphasis on its demands on the Kurds in northern Syria, but the Gylenist movement has also been on the agenda.

Turkey has sought to have NATO also classify PYD, YPG and Feto as terrorist actors. NATO does not intend to do that, but at least according to the Finnish perception, this will be dealt with in some kind of circular expression, expressing concern about terrorism but without naming any new organizations.

Previously over Tuesday, the state of negotiations was already commented on with cautious optimism.

President Niinistö said at noon on Tuesday that he would not be more optimistic or pessimistic about the progress of the talks.

Erdoğan will go into the conversation “with an open mind to see where the shoe is squeezing,” Niinistö said.

Niinistö emphasized that Finland did not intend to change its legislation due to Turkish requirements.

“In fact, our legislation, as I have said many times, is fully in line with practices and legislation in other European countries, including NATO. At least we’re there on average, or let’s say very similar behavior, ”Niinistö said Tuesday morning.

According to HS, the mood after the official talks in Brussels on Monday was also cautiously optimistic.

Turkey President Erdoğan said that when he left for Madrid, he wanted more than “empty words” from Finland and Sweden.

Erdoğan again urged Finland and Sweden to take Turkey’s demands seriously.

He also said he was expecting information from the United States at the meeting about the F-16 fighter jets that Turkey would like to acquire. He said the United States is delaying trade.

So much so there are several bilateral meetings in Madrid. He will meet the King of Spain on Wednesday Felipe VI: nThe President of Croatia Zoran Milanovićin and the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeaun.

Milanović has previously said that Croatia should prevent Finland and Sweden from joining NATO. He linked it to the internal situation in the Western Balkans, namely that the electoral law in Bosnia and Herzegovina should be resolved fairly for the Bosnian Croats. However, the President will not decide in Croatia on the ratification of the possible NATO membership of Finland and Sweden.

Niinistö, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and British Prime Minister are also scheduled for Wednesday. Boris Johnson joint meeting.