In Ankara, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu participated in a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during his visit to the Turkish capital. The discussions underscored Turkey’s stance that Sweden and Finland must meet their obligations under the Madrid Memorandum before any further steps are taken in their accession process.
The Madrid Memorandum, signed on 28 June, commits the signatories to concrete assurances. It requires written pledges that neither country will provide support to terrorist organizations, including the PKK and groups linked to the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is associated with certain networks in Ankara. The memorandum also imposes an arms embargo and imposes sanctions on components of Turkey’s defense industry. These provisions are central to Ankara’s assessment of Sweden’s and Finland’s readiness to join NATO and to participate in a coordinated regional security framework.
Çavuşoğlu told reporters that Turkey is actively engaging with multiple NATO members to explore the possibility of a separate consideration of Finland’s application. While Turkey remains committed to the alliance and its collective defense principles, Ankara has indicated a willingness to discuss conditional steps that would reflect the progress of Helsinki toward meeting the memorandum’s requirements and the broader security interests of the alliance.
Historically, it has been suggested in Turkish discourse that Helsinki and Stockholm should advance toward NATO membership in tandem. Officials have argued that a synchronized accession would strengthen the alliance’s unity and facilitate a smoother integration of both Nordic partners into NATO structures. Recent statements emphasize that any move on Finland’s accession is linked to visible, verifiable steps by both applicants that align with the memorandum’s commitments and with regional security considerations.