Finland and Sweden have not yet met all the conditions for Turkey’s membership in NATO. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said this during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“We see some positive steps, in particular the lifting of the arms embargo and the change of legislation. But this is not the fulfillment of all conditions,” Haberturk newspaper quoted Çavuşoğlu as saying.
The Turkish foreign minister stressed that Sweden and Finland need to fulfill all requirements of the memorandum signed on June 28, which addresses Turkey’s concerns.
Cavusoglu expressed hope for a positive outcome to the negotiations and reminded NATO candidates of the need to take sustainable steps.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier in the day that the accession process of Sweden and Finland to the North Atlantic Alliance is over because the two countries have already satisfied the conditions previously set by Turkey that were necessary for them to join NATO. He also expressed his intention to discuss the issue with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as early as Friday.
The same day, Bloomberg’s sources said Turkish authorities would likely not ratify Sweden’s application to join NATO before the end of the year or even before presidential elections due in June. Swedish authorities, according to the agency’s sources, have not done enough to meet Ankara’s demands.