Speaking at a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said he spoke earlier this week with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who won the Turkish presidential election last weekend. “I will travel to Ankara in the near future to discuss the fastest possible path for Sweden to join NATO.”
Experts believe that Erdogan – partly because of his electoral victory – is more receptive to a possible Swedish membership of NATO. “Turkey must now push forward with Sweden’s ratification,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said.
Terrorists
Turkey has previously ratified Finland’s request to join the alliance, but is keeping Sweden in the waiting room for now. Sweden is said to be harboring members of a militia, which Turkey classifies as terrorists.
However, member states are confident that Turkey will continue to veer and that Sweden will be admitted to the treaty arrangement before or during the NATO summit in Vilnius. “It is expected that at that summit we will also be able to hoist a Swedish flag,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
All requirements
Sweden was also invited to the two-day summit in Oslo, where Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom stressed once again that the country meets all the requirements to join NATO. “It’s time for Turkey and Hungary to start ratifying Sweden’s NATO membership.”