NATO chief urges Turkey not to veto Sweden joining alliance
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has urged Turkey not to veto Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance, ahead of a meeting this month to try to overcome objections delaying Stockholm’s membership, AFP reports.
“Membership will make Sweden safer but also make NATO and Turkey stronger,” Secretary-General Stoltenberg told journalists in Istanbul on Sunday after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his newly appointed foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, the former head of the intelligence agency.
“I look forward to finalising Sweden’s accession as soon as possible,” Stoltenberg added.
Officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland will meet next week to attempt to resolve the issues that have delayed Sweden’s NATO membership, said Stoltenberg, referring to the permanent joint mechanism set up to address Turkey’s concerns about Sweden and Finland.
In March, Turkey ratified Finland’s bid for membership, and it became NATO’s 31st member in April.
All 31 member countries must ratify a candidate’s accession protocol for it to join the transatlantic alliance.
