Biden May Mediate Turkey's Talks With Finland, Sweden On NATO Accession - Reports

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2022) US President Joe Biden may broker negotiations among Turkey, Finland and Sweden on the two Nordic countries' NATO membership bid, which Ankara has been opposed to over security concerns, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported on Friday, citing NATO sources.

The sources stressed the significance of the recent meeting of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson with Biden on their possible NATO membership, adding that the US president may act as a mediator between them and Turkey.

The way in which Sweden addresses Turkey's concerns with regard to the presence of Kurdish lawmakers in the Swedish parliament, whom Ankara designates as terrorists, will be instrumental to resolving the issue, the report said.

Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday. Whether the two countries will be admitted to the alliance hinges on unanimous approval by NATO member states.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara had informed its NATO allies that it would say no to the membership of Sweden and Finland, and would not change its position. Niinisto later said that Helsinki took Turkish concerns about its accession to NATO seriously and would continue discussions with Ankara in the coming days.