Romania and Poland hope Sweden and Finland will be able to join NATO despite reluctance from Turkey, the country’s foreign ministers said Friday during a visit to Ankara.
Stockholm and Helsinki submitted their bids to join the military alliance last week, reversing decades of neutrality.
Political and public support for membership soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But Turkey, a NATO member, may jeopardize the bid as any membership must be unanimously approved by all member states.
Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said he supported “constructive dialogue”.
“We hope to soon have good news concerning Sweden and Finland,” he said.
At 1️⃣0️⃣ yrs since we launched #SecurityTrilateral ??????, I’m glad to reunite w/FMs @MevlutCavusoglu @RauZbigniew in #Istanbul for in-depth talks on the current security crisis in #Ukraine generated by Russia & its multidimensional impact for regional&Euro-Atlantic security. pic.twitter.com/LFiYxy6qgg
— Bogdan Aurescu (@BogdanAurescu) May 27, 2022
“I am optimistic… I am convinced that this disagreement will be resolved in the best way, in the spirit of NATO solidarity,” Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said at a joint press conference with the Romanian and Turkish ministers.
“Sweden and Finland becoming members of NATO is vital to making us stronger,” he said, though adding that their joining “should however benefit all NATO allies, including Turkey”.
Ankara accuses Stockholm in particular of providing a haven for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is listed as a “terrorist” group by Turkey and its Western allies.
It also accuses Sweden of harboring supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based preacher wanted over a failed 2016 coup in Turkey.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country had made “legitimate” demands.
“These countries back terrorism. They must end this support and lift restrictions on defence industry sales to our country” imposed after the Turkish army’s Syria operation in 2019, he said.
