NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence this Sunday that Finland and Sweden would join the organization in defiance of Turkey’s “legitimate fears”, describing the upcoming Madrid summit as “important”.
The Madrid summit was never considered a last resort to end the agreement on the annexation of Finland and Sweden, “Stoltenberg told a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Ninisto.
The official stressed that Turkey’s fears about joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should be “taken seriously” and that the way to overcome them was to “sit down and talk”, questioning the possible siege on Ankara’s side. Nordic countries harboring members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Madrid summit, scheduled for June 29 and 30, should help “make progress” in integrating these countries, but this is not a “last date”, the official said, adding that the possibility of choosing a speedy process was needed. Support the security of interested countries and strengthen alliances.
Repeating the word “legitimate” to describe Turkey’s concerns, Stoltenberg argued, “I firmly believe that its membership will be in the interests of NATO’s overall security.”
In another post, Finnish President Ankara highlighted his “surprise” attitude, explaining that until a few months ago he had always noticed a “positive attitude” towards Turkey.
Stoltenberg’s business trip to Helsinki Following the Secretary – General’s meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson in Stockholm on Monday, his country formalized a NATO member parallel to Finland.
Although the two Nordic countries are members of the European Union and are not in the Atlantic Alliance, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed their traditional military alliance, which led to a shift away from neutrality and public opinion.
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