Turkiye's talks with Sweden, Finland on NATO bids end in Ankara

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) – With a proposed NATO expansion in the balance, consultations on Sweden and Finland’s applications to join the alliance hosted by Turkiye ended on Wednesday in the capital Ankara.

After the Turkish delegation met separately with the Finnish and Swedish delegations, the three sides came together for the discussions.

The close-door meeting at the presidential complex lasted nearly five hours.

The Turkish delegation at the meeting was headed by presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal.

The visitors include Oscar Stenstrom, Swedish state secretary for foreign affairs and security, and Jukka Salovaara, Finnish permanent foreign ministry state secretary, along with their delegations.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last week – a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.

But Turkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the Baltic states for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.