In view of the concerns raised by NATO member Turkey against the accession of the two northern European states, he spoke of progress. “I recognize your concerns,” said Stoltenberg towards Cavusoglus. Finland and Sweden are very interested in closer cooperation with Turkey in the fight against “terrorism”.
After decades of military non-alignment, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO in May as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then threatened to block their admission to NATO. Ankara accuses both states of providing shelter to Kurdish fighters who the Turkish government sees as “terrorists”. In June, Turkey, Sweden and Finland concluded an agreement which, among other things, revolves around extradition and the exchange of information between the countries.
To date, all NATO countries except Turkey and Hungary have ratified Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO accession. The approval of all previous members is required for the accession of a new member state.
Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu spoke of progress in relations with Sweden. However, it is “not possible to say” that the agreements reached with Sweden have been fully implemented. Ankara does not want to stop NATO expansion, but does see “concrete steps”. However, he has “greater hope” that the new Swedish government will address Turkey’s concerns.
According to Cavusoglu, the new Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is expected to visit Ankara next Tuesday. Joining NATO is one of the most important goals of the new centre-right government in Stockholm.
