NATO: Stoltenberg To Seek Turkey’s Approval For Sweden, Finland

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will be pushing Turkey to ratify the applications of Finland and Sweden.

Stoltenberg is set to fly to Ankara on Thursday and also head to the region devastated by the earthquakes last week.

He will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Stoltenberg on Wednesday; "I have urged them for many months to ratify both at the same time.

“However, at the end of the day, it is Türkiye's decision on whether it will ratify both countries at the same time or not. That is a Turkish decision.”

President Erdoğan is particularly objecting to Sweden's application because it harbours members of PKK whom Turkey, the European Union and the United States register as a terrorist organization.

Sweden and Finland both applied to join NATO last year, but the process has been held up by Turkey and its objections to Sweden over the harbouring and toleration of terrorists.