Sweden ready to address Turkish security fears
STOCKHOLM (AP) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that he was “pleased” that the Swedish government has reaffirmed its “readiness to address Turkey’s concerns as part of taking on the responsibilities of future NATO membership.” “
After decades of military freedom of alliance, Russia’s war in Ukraine forced Finland and Sweden to apply to join NATO in May. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, accuses the Nordic nations of supporting Kurdish militants who are considered by Turkey to be terrorists and has vetoed their entry into the alliance until they change their policy.
Sweden takes “the Turkish unrest very seriously” and “not least their security problems when it comes to the fight against terrorism”, said Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, adding that her “ambition is for us to get these issues resolved.”
Stoltenberg said that Sweden “has already begun to change its anti-terrorism legislation” and that the Scandinavian country “will ensure that the legal framework for arms exports will reflect their future status as a NATO member with new commitments to allies.”
“These are two important steps to address the concerns that Turkey has raised,” he said.
“The goal is to resolve these issues as soon as possible, in order to welcome Finland and Sweden as full members as soon as possible,” he said.
Stoltenberg declined to say whether the issue should be resolved before the NATO summit in Madrid on 28 June or before the Swedish parliamentary elections on 11 September. Sweden and Finland have been invited to participate in the meeting in Spain.
After Monday’s conversation, Stoltenberg and Andersson went on a boat trip in the lake next to a Swedish government farm southwest of Stockholm.
On Sunday, Stoltenberg met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Finland and said that Turkey has “legitimate concerns” about terrorism and other issues that need to be taken seriously.
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