Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, right, welcomes NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Harpsund, the country retreat of Swedish prime ministers, in Sodermanland County, Sweden, Monday, June 13, 2022. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)
OAN NEWSROOM
UPDATED 9:21 AM PT – Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Sweden is taking steps to meet Turkey’s demands for approving its NATO membership application. That’s according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who visited Sweden on Monday. Both Sweden and Finland requested to join the alliance last month.
Great to meet with Prime Minister @MarinSanna of our close partner #Finland in Washington. We discussed the need to address #Turkey‘s concerns & move forward with the #NATO membership application by Finland & Sweden. pic.twitter.com/wPTjhYHMLy
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) June 3, 2022
Turkish officials objected while accusing the two Scandinavian countries of supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
“I welcome that Sweden has all started to change its counterterrorism legislation and that Sweden will ensure that the legal framework for arms export will reflect their future status as a NATO member with new commitments to allies,” stated Stoltenberg. “These are two important steps to address concerns Turkey has raised.”
Good to meet President @niinisto to discuss #Finland’s application for #NATO membership. We are taking the security concerns raised by #Turkiye seriously & will remain in close contact with our Ally Türkiye & partners Finland & #Sweden to find a common way forward. pic.twitter.com/fUq1hQCsQk
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) June 12, 2022
The NATO Secretary General said the goal is to have Sweden and Finland join NATO as soon as possible.