NATO chief: Sweden ready to address Turkish security fears
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he is “glad” that the Swedish government has confirmed its “readiness to address Turkey’s concerns" about security issues
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday he was “glad” that the Swedish government has confirmed its “readiness to address Turkey’s concerns as part of assuming the obligations of future NATO membership.”
After decades of military non-alignment, Russia’s war in Ukraine pushed Finland and Sweden to apply to join NATO in May. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, accuses the Nordic nations of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists and has vetoed their entry into the alliance until they change their policies.
Sweden is taking “the Turkish concerns very seriously" and "not at least their security concerns when it comes to the fight against terrorism,” said Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and added that her “ambition is that we should have these matters resolved.”
Stoltenberg said Sweden “has already started to change its counter-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 aim is to solve those issues as soon as possible, to be able to welcome Finland and Sweden as full members as soon as possible,” he said.
Stoltenberg declined to say whether the matter should be resolved before the NATO summit in Madrid on June 28 or before the Swedish Parliament election on Sept. 11. Sweden and Finland have been invited to attend the meeting in Spain.
After Monday's talks, Stoltenberg and Andersson went for a boat ride in the lake next to a Swedish government manor southwest of Stockholm.
On Sunday, Stoltenberg met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Finland, saying that Turkey has “legitimate concerns” over terrorism and other issues that need to be taken seriously.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine