Turkey will support Finland and Sweden's NATO applications

Turkey will support Finland and Sweden's NATO applications now that the military alliance has reached a deal addressing the lone holdout's concerns, NATO Secertary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Tuesday.

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would not support either country's accession due to their support for "Kurdish organizations that Turkey considers security threats," CNBC writes. All 30 members of NATO must approve a country's application before it can officially join the alliance.

Further details will be discussed at the NATO summit in Madrid that's currently underway, per Bloomberg.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"I am delighted to conclude this stage on Finland's road to NATO membership," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said. "I now look forward to fruitful conversations on Finland's role in NATO with our future allies here in Madrid."

Still, despite Turkey's newfound support, there is a long road ahead for both Finland and Sweden. The membership process will likely take a number of months, Bloomberg notes.

The two countries, both of which have a history of military neutrality, decided to join the alliance in the wake of neighboring Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin, which has decried NATO's eastward expansion, has not responded positively to the news.