Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), during a panel session on day two of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
The annual Davos gathering of political leaders MADRID (AP) - Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders’ summit in Madrid amid Europe’s worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine.After urgent top-level talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said "we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO."Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status and apply to join NATO.
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists.RELATED: Russia-Ukraine war could last years, NATO chief warnsFinnish President Sauli Niinistö said the three countries’ leaders signed a joint agreement after talks on Tuesday.Turkey said it had "got what it wanted" including "full cooperation ...
in the fight against" the rebel groups.National security expert Hal Kempfer explains what a Finland and Sweden NATO membership means for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.The agreement comes at the opening of a crucial summit dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.