Türkiye got what it wanted. That's how Ankara is describing the outcome of tense negotiations, that cleared the way for Sweden and Finland to join the NATO alliance. The breakthrough came just hours before a NATO summit was set to kick off in Madrid. For weeks, Ankara strongly opposed Sweden and Finland's bid to join NATO, over their support for terrorist groups that have attacked Türkiye. After last minute negotiations, the three countries signed a memorandum that addresses Türkiye's concerns. The two Nordic countries have agreed to cooperate fully with Türkiye in its fight against the PKK and other related terrorist groups. Both countries also agreed to lift an arms embargo on Türkiye that was placed back in 2019. Sweden's prime minister hailed the agreement, saying their inclusion into NATO will boost the alliance's security. President Erdogan also met his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the summit, discussing everything from NATO's enlargement, the conflict in Ukraine, to stability in the Aegean and Syria. NATO's steps to welcome Sweden and Finland comes as the western alliance confronts Russia over its attack on Ukraine, which was launched back in late February. So is this a breakthrough for NATO, will Sweden and Finland really follow through with Türkiye's concerns on terrorism and how will Russia react to this latest development?

Guests:

Tarik Oguzlu

Professor at Istanbul Aydin University

Giedrius Cesnakas

Director of Political Science at Lithuania's Military Academy

Matthew Bryza

Former US Ambassador