Swe/Fin Foreign Ministers In U.S. To Discuss NATO Membership

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström have arrived in Washington DC for two-days of meetings with Biden Administration officials on finalising their NATO bids.

• Haavisto and Billström will conduct bilateral meetings with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before participating in a UN session on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• Haavisto said today: "It is important that Finland has regular dialogue with the United States on matters concerning European security. Finland is committed to supporting Ukraine in cooperation with the EU and our partners.”
• 28 of NATO’s 30 member states have already ratified their membership, and with Hungary expected to follow early next year, that leaves Turkey as the only remaining obstacle to accession.
• Billström said today: “We are committed to fulfilling all parts of the trilateral memorandum of understanding with Türkiye, including on counterterrorism.”
• State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said he is, “confident that Finland and Sweden will before long be the 31st and the 32nd members of NATO… I suspect you’ll hear more about this when Finland and Sweden will be here at the department on Thursday.”