Sweden wants to join NATO, but the application has been dormant for weeks. NATO chief Stoltenberg wants to travel to Turkey in person and talk to Erdogan.
Ankara/Stockholm - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg wants to travel to Turkey to discuss Sweden's accession to NATO in person after the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, Stoltenberg did not give an exact date at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo on June 2. However, the meeting is to take place "in the near future". He said he wanted to work to ensure that Sweden could join "as soon as possible".
Turkey blocks Sweden's accession to NATO - now Stoltenberg wants to travel to Ankara
Sweden and Finland had jointly applied to join as concerns rose in both countries as a result of the Ukraine war. While Finland was admitted as the 4st member on 31 April, Sweden is still waiting. So far, Hungary and Turkey have not agreed to Sweden's admission. Turkey is particularly bothered by its liberal treatment of supporters of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and is therefore blocking accession.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (r), President of Turkey, shakes hands with Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, at a joint meeting in Istanbul. (Archive photo) © Nato/dpa
"I am of course confident that Sweden will become a member, and then we will work to ensure that this happens as soon as possible," Stoltenberg said on Thursday. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) also spoke out again in favour of Sweden's admission. According to her, NATO has made it clear that Finland and Sweden are "more than welcome".
Stoltenberg travels to Ankara for Sweden's NATO accession: Foreign Minister Baerbock with clear words
According to Baerbock, it is "essential that we can finally welcome Sweden as the 32nd member at the summit in Vilnius." The minister did not explicitly mention Turkey or Hungary. She stressed, however, that all NATO member states had promised Sweden accession. "And this word applies, we must be able to rely on it as partners in a defensive alliance."
The meeting of NATO foreign ministers also focused on Ukraine. Baerbock was rather cautious about Ukraine's possible NATO membership. Rather, security guarantees that could be given to the country after the end of the war were discussed. Stoltenberg said: "We don't know when the war will end, but we need to make sure that we have credible agreements in place to ensure Ukraine's security in the future." (NZ/AFP)