Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Finland, Sweden flag some progress in NATO talks with Turkey

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto speaks during a briefing ahead of NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Juan Medina

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Tuesday there had been some progress in negotiations aimed at overcoming Turkey's objection to the Nordic countries' bid to join NATO.

Turkey has blocked bids by Sweden and Finland to join the Western military alliance, accusing them of supporting groups Ankara views as terrorists.

NATO leaders are expected to urge Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to lift his veto over their bids when they meet for a three-day summit in Madrid on Tuesday, as the West strives to send Russia and China a signal of resolve.

"We are prepared for the eventuality that something positive could happen today, but it might also take longer," Linde told daily Svenska Dagbladet (SvD).

Finland's Niinisto was slightly more cautious, saying there had been more mutual understanding in the talks but that he was neither optimistic nor pessimistic when it comes to the outcome ahead of his meeting with Erdogan, NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Premier Magdalena Andersson later today in Madrid.

"The general view is that the discussions went somewhat better, which should mean that understanding has somewhat increased on both sides," Niinisto told reporters, referring to preceding talks between diplomats.

Speaking before departing for the NATO summit in Madrid, Erdogan said the Nordic states must take Turkey's concerns into consideration and deliver not just words but results if they wanted to be NATO members.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki and Simon Johnson in Stockholm, writing by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Frank Jack Daniel)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.