Turkey gains concessions as Finnish and Swedish NATO applications approved
Arranged every two years, Finland participated in exercise Cold Response in 2016 and again this year. (Photo: Finnish Ministry of Defence)
NATO Ambassadors signed the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden at NATO Headquarters on 5 July.
With the signing of the Accession Protocols, Finland’s and Sweden’s applications for NATO membership will now have to be approved by each of the member nations.
Over the past few months, Ankara has threatened to veto the Scandinavian nation’s bid for membership.
An agreement was reached last week at the Madrid Summit; however, tensions remain high as only two days after an agreement was reached, Erdoğan stressed that Turkey would still veto the application if the two nations failed to meet Turkish demands.
One of the key terms of the compromise was for Finland and Sweden to extradite people associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), which both nations already recognised as a terrorist group.
Turkey also considers the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units as an extension of the PKK, which is refuted by other members of NATO and the two Nordic nations, although they have agreed to not provide future support.
Although historically the two nations had declined to join the organisation, a close relationship existed with both countries taking part in international exercises, such as Cold Response and BALTOPS 22, and maintaining strong industry ties, such as with the UK and Sweden’s joint development of NLAW missiles.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)]()
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
![SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem]()
SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem
SAHA 2026 brings global defence and aerospace leaders to Istanbul for partnerships, launches, panels and high-value meetings.
-
![Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms]()
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
![US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors]()
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
![US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production]()
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
