NATO reaches a deal with Turkey to admit Sweden and Finland, secretary-general says

Stoltenberg has said NATO’s updated Strategic Concept will likely refer to Russia as the “most significant and direct threat” to security.

NATO reached a deal to admit Sweden and Finland after resolving the concerns of Turkey, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Russia's assault on Ukraine has heightened fears of other countries in the region. Russia has been against the two nations joining the alliance.

Turkey's president said he wouldn't approve the NATO applications of Sweden and Finland. He said they supported Kurdish organizations that Turkey considered security threats.

NATO members have to approve a country's bid for membership.

Stoltenberg told reporters last week that he was working to add Sweden and Finland to the NATO alliance. The Euro-Atlantic area will be more secure as a result of the addition of Sweden and Finland.

The next steps in the accession process of both Sweden and Finland are being worked on by us. Addressing Turkey's security concerns, as well as in the fight against terrorism, was one of the topics discussed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Many of the requirements to be a NATO member are already met by both Sweden andFinland. The ability to make military contributions to NATO missions, as well as having a functioning democratic political system, are some of the requirements.

Both nations applied to join the NATO alliance.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks next to Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 19, 2022. 

The two countries would make NATO stronger, according to President Joe Biden, who was flanked by the president of Finland and the prime minister of Sweden. He called their move a victory for democracy.

Biden said that he would work with Congress to quickly approve NATO bids from the U.S.

Following a trilateral meeting at the White House with the leaders of NATO, Biden said that the alliance is needed more than ever.