HELSINKI (AP) 鈥 The foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland reiterated in separate interviews published Saturday that the process for the two Nordic nations to join NATO is continuing despite Turkey's president saying Sweden shouldn鈥檛 expect his country to approve its membership.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstr枚m acknowledged in an interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen that Turkish anger over recent demonstrations and in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm had complicated Sweden鈥檚 NATO accession.
To admit new countries, NATO requires unanimous approval from its existing members, of which Turkey is one. Despite this, the Swedish government is hopeful of joining NATO this summer, Billstr枚m said.
鈥淚t goes without saying that we鈥檙e looking toward the (NATO) summit in Vilnius,鈥 Lithuania's capital, in July, Billstr枚m told Expressen when asked of the timetable for Sweden鈥檚 possible accession.
Hungary and Turkey are the only countries in the 30-member Western military alliance that haven't signed off on Finland鈥檚 and Sweden鈥檚 applications.
While Hungary has pledged to do so in February, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that a planned meeting in Brussels to discuss Sweden and Finland鈥檚 .
Such a meeting would have been 鈥渕eaningless鈥 following the events of last weekend in Stockholm, Cavusoglu said. They included protests by pro-Kurdish groups and the burning of Islam's holy book by a far right Danish politician, Rasmus Paludan.
Expressen quoted Billstr枚m on Saturday as saying that the work to get Sweden and Finland into NATO was not on hold.
鈥淭he NATO process has not paused. The (Swedish) government continues to implement the memorandum that exists between Sweden, Finland and Turkey. But it is up to Turkey to decide when they will ratify,鈥 he said.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto echoed his Swedish counterpart and said the two countries planned to continue making a joint journey toward NATO.
鈥淚n my view, the road to NATO hasn't closed for either country,鈥 Haavisto said in an interview with Finnish public broadcaster YLE.
He said that Ankara鈥檚 announcement to defer trilateral talks with Finland, Sweden and Turkey for now 鈥渞epresents an extension of time from the Turkish side, and that the matter can be revisited after the Turkish elections鈥 set for May 14.
Haavisto said he was hopeful that time frame would allow for Finland and Sweden鈥檚 membership to be finalized at the July 11-12 NATO summit in Lithuania.
