 "NATO Chief Stoltenberg to visit Turkey over Sweden's membership")
In a bid to move Turkey for Sweden’s NATO membership, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that he will travel to Istanbul to discuss the process that has been delayed due to objections from member countries Turkey and Hungary. During a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said that he held conversations with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. “I will also travel to Ankara in the near future to continue to address how we can ensure the fastest possible accession of Sweden,” Stoltenberg told reporters. NATO officers expect Turkey to lift its apprehensions about Stockholm’s admission to NATO since elections are now over. “Now that Turkish elections are over, it is important that Turkey goes on with the ratification process,” said Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.
Stoltenberg said at the end of the meeting that with the Turkish election over, “it is important to restart the dialogue and the process”, noting that Sweden had on Thursday implemented new terrorism legislation, thus addressing a key Turkish concern.
“Sweden has delivered,” Stoltenberg said. “The time has come to ratify Sweden(its membership) and I am working hard so that it happens as soon as possible.”
Several foreign ministers expressed confidence Sweden could become a member before or at a NATO summit in July in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“There is a very high expectation that the Swedish flag will be raised (in Vilnius),” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Sweden, invited to Oslo, stressed again it had fulfilled all the conditions set to become a member of the military alliance.
“We have fulfilled all our commitments,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told reporters. “It is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of Swedish membership to NATO.”
With inputs from Reuters
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