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Added on the 17/05/2022 15:22:18 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Turkey signs a memorandum with Finland and Sweden supporting the invitation for the two Nordic countries to become members of NATO. IMAGES
President Sauli Niniisto of Finland and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson of Sweden meet with their Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid in a bid to get Erdogan to drop objections to them joining the US-led defence alliance. Erdogan has refused to greenlight the applications from the Nordic pair despite calls from his NATO allies to clear the path for them to enter. IMAGES
As the two historically non-aligned countries confirm they will both seek to apply to NATO, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto meets with the speaker of the Swedish Parliament Andreas Norlen in the presence of the King and Queen of Sweden, and delivers a speech to the parliament. IMAGES
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcome Turkey's decision to push ahead with ratifying Finland's membership, and says Sweden should also be allowed to join as soon as possible. "The most important thing is that both Finland and Sweden become full members of NATO quickly, not whether they join at exactly the same time," Stoltenberg said. SOUNDBITE
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, welcomes his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinistö, with an official welcoming ceremony in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The Finnish president's visit comes as the Russia-bordering Scandinavian country hopes to receive the green light from Turkey to join NATO. IMAGES
Supporters of Zambian President Lungu hold a rally in Lusaka during a tense presidential race, which has been marked by clashes between rival supporters. The presidential election will take place on Thursday. IMAGES.