The member countries of NATO are "
on the right track
" to find a consensus on the integration of Finland and Sweden, judged the head of Croatian diplomacy on Sunday, Berlin even assuring that their membership could intervene "
very quickly
".
Read alsoWhy Finland's NATO membership is a major geopolitical upheaval
"
I think the discussion is on the right track (...) I hope we will have a fruitful final discussion and a good result to show our solidarity
," said Gordan Grlic Radman on arriving at an informal meeting of ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Atlantic Alliance in Berlin.
The last-minute opposition displayed by Turkey, a member of the Alliance, to the integration of the two Nordic countries casts uncertainty over the outcome of the process.
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would strengthen the security of northern Europe
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"
I am convinced that the allies that we are will view their membership of this alliance with a constructive and positive eye
", however declared the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoana, who also said he was confident in the possibility to reach a consensus.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock even assured that these two memberships could take place “
very quickly
”.
"
Germany has prepared everything for the ratification process to be rapid
," she said the day after discussions with the heads of diplomacy of the two Nordic countries, present in Berlin.
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”
“
Many countries have stressed that it is important that there is no endless gray area
,” she continued, referring to the delay between the application and the effective integration of newcomers.
Under the effect of the war in Ukraine, the two countries are preparing to turn the page on decades of military non-alignment.
Finland must formalize its candidacy this Sunday, before a decisive meeting of the ruling party in Sweden with a view to a probable joint application for membership of the two countries.
Turkey accuses Sweden and Finland of showing too much leniency vis-à-vis the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu, however, said he was ready to discuss it with the two countries, as well as with the other NATO nations.
"
Turkey is an important ally
," said Mircea Geoana.
“
They expressed concerns which will be (…) discussed
”.
Read alsoThe keys to understanding what NATO's integrated command is for
The head of Luxembourg diplomacy Jean Asselborn also judged that if Turkey was "
sometimes a difficult partner
", the "
signals
" were "
not bad
".
His Slovak colleague, Ivan Korcok, also said he was "
absolutely certain that we will find a solution that will meet the concerns
" of the two Nordic countries.
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- For Erdogan, the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO would be "
a mistake
"