Finland and Sweden to continue NATO talks with Turkey

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto speaks during a news conference following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 27, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger

HELSINKI, June 1 (Reuters) – Finland and Sweden said on Wednesday the Nordic countries will continue their dialogue with Turkey over Ankara’s objections to their bids for membership of the NATO military alliance.

The two nations both applied to join NATO last month but faced unexpected resistance from Turkey which accuses them of being safe havens for Kurdish militants and wants them to reverse an arms exports ban. read more

“Together with Sweden we will do our homework and prepare for the questions Turkey has,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters in Helsinki.

Becoming a NATO member requires unanimous backing from all current 30 member states.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, speaking at a separate event in Stockholm, said she expected constructive meetings with Turkey to take place in the near future.

“Our responses to demands and also questions from Turkey we will take directly with Turkey and also sort out any issues and misunderstandings that there might be,” she said. read more

Reporting by Essi Lehto and Anne Kauranen in Helsinki, editing by Terje Solsvik

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