Sweden hopes for the rapid approval of its NATO accession by Türkiye after parliamentary and presidential elections in May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Wednesday.
Kristersson was speaking in a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
For his part, Scholz said the accession of Sweden and Finland to the military alliance was critical "for our security."
Meanwhile, Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto said he expects President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to confirm Türkiye’s approval for his country’s NATO accession when they meet in Ankara later this week.
"We knew that when Turkish President Erdogan on his part has decided to ratify Finland's NATO membership, he wants to meet and fulfill his promise president to president," Niinisto said in an email to Reuters.
Invited by Erdogan, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto will be in Türkiye on Thursday for a two-day visit that will, among others, focus on the Nordic country’s NATO accession bid while Erdogan cryptically said they would 'fulfill their pledge to Finland.'
Last June, Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden signed a memorandum at a NATO summit in Madrid to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership. The memorandum addresses Türkiye’s concerns, including arms exports and the fight against terrorism.
To approve their NATO membership bids, Ankara demands the two Nordic countries take concrete actions to combat terrorist groups PKK and Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye. However, Sweden is seen as not doing enough to gain Türkiye’s approval.