Copenhagen [Denmark]May 20 (ANI / Xinhua): Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), promised on Thursday to address Turkey’s concerns about Finland’s and Sweden’s applications to join the military alliance.
“We address the concerns that Turkey has expressed,” he said at a press conference held here with his host, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Finland and Sweden have decided to apply for membership in NATO. Turkey has said it opposes the accession of the two Nordic states to the military alliance.
Stoltenberg said that Finland’s and Sweden’s applications to join NATO would be handled in a coordinated manner because “security interests and concerns for all allies must be taken into account.” He noted that NATO is “in close contact with Finland and Sweden and Turkey.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he could not agree to the accession of Finland and Sweden, which has imposed sanctions on Turkey.
Ankara has accused both nations of supporting “terrorist organizations”, citing the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Kurdish militia People’s Defense Units in Syria.
Russia, which could see its land border with NATO countries doubled, has also repeatedly warned Sweden and Finland to join NATO, saying such a move would force the country to “restore military balance” by strengthening its defense in the Baltic Sea region. (ANI / Xinhua)
Source: sn.dk