Turkish Concerns Over Finland, Sweden To End In Consensus - NATO Deputy Secretary General

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2022) NATO is trying to resolve Turkish concerns over Finland and Sweden and is going to broker consensus between the countries if the Nordic states decide to seek membership, NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana said on Sunday.

"Turkey is an important ally, they expressed concerns that are addressed and discussed in between friends and allies, and I am confident that if these two (Finland and Sweden) will decide, in the next few days I understand, to seek membership in NATO that we will be able to welcome them and to find all conditions for consensus to be met," Geoana said at the doorstep of the informal meeting of NATO ministers of foreign affairs in Berlin.

In March, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will fast-track the membership applications of Finland and Sweden if they decide to join. On Thursday, both Finland and Sweden officially confirmed their plans to join NATO. The United States and Germany have already pledged support to the Nordic states if they choose to apply for membership in the alliance. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country cannot view favorably the accession of Finland or Sweden to NATO, citing their "hospitality" toward Kurdish asylum seekers.