Deal on NATO accession to be fulfilled, top Swedish diplomat says
STOCKHOLM (AA) – The tripartite memorandum between Finland, Sweden and Türkiye for NATO membership of the Nordic nations will be fulfilled, the Swedish foreign minister reiterated on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Tobias Billstrom condemned Sunday’s terror attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue that left six people dead and 81 others injured. The Turkish government has confirmed it was carried out by the PKK/YPG group.
He said the attack would not affect ongoing dialogue between Sweden and Türkiye. He promised that Türkiye’s security concerns will be addressed.
Abandoning decades of military non-alignment, Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
But Türkiye voiced objections to their membership bids, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
Stockholm and Helsinki struck a deal with Ankara in June, which requires them not to provide support to the PKK and its offshoots. Ankara has also called for extradition of terror suspects.
In order for a country to join NATO, unanimous consent is required — the approval of all 30 existing allied countries.
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