NATO allies take Turkey's "legitimate concerns" related to the fight against terrorism seriously in the context of Sweden's and Finland's membership applications, the security bloc's chief said Thursday, assuring that alliance members are working "actively to find a solution."
Speaking at a news conference closing a two-day meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg commented on Turkey's opposition to Sweden and Finland's NATO accession.
"My aim is to find a solution as soon as possible," he said.
Repeating his previous comments, Stoltenberg said: "I commend efforts by Turkey and President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan to try to find a solution to get the grain out of Ukraine" and counter the increase in global food prices.
NATO defense ministers made progress in preparing a pivotal leaders' summit to be held later this month, the NATO chief also noted.
Stoltenberg said NATO defense ministers "made progress" on many of the key topics of the leaders' summit to be held on June 29-30 in Madrid.
He explained that the "Madrid summit will be transformative" with important decisions in key areas such as strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense and sustaining support for Ukraine and other partners at risk.
The reforms include a new deployment model with "more forces at higher readiness," including more forward-deployed combat formations to strengthen NATO battle groups in the eastern flanks and in air, sea and cyber defenses, as well as pre-positioned equipment and weapons stockpiles, Stoltenberg asserted.
The leaders are also expected to adopt NATO's new strategic concept that adapts to the modern security environment, including the Russian threat, and for the first time, the emerging challenge of China, he added.
They are also meant to agree on better burden-sharing in NATO and increased military investments.
President Erdoğan on Wednesday said that Turkey will not change its stance on Sweden's and Finland's NATO bids until they take clear, concrete and decisive steps in the fight against terrorism.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also said Wednesday that Ankara appreciates NATO chief Stoltenberg's efforts to address Turkey's security concerns.
Later in the day, Erdoğan spoke with the NATO chief over the phone and reiterated the steps required to address Ankara's "legitimate" concerns over the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden.
After decades of military nonalignment, Russia’s war in Ukraine pushed Sweden and Finland to apply to join the Western defense alliance in May. But they have faced resistance from Turkey, which has vetoed their entry into the alliance, citing their support to terrorist groups, including the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG.
While the two Nordic countries have said talks would continue to resolve the dispute, Ankara said it has not received any responses to its demands, including stopping support for groups Turkey considers terrorists, lifting arms embargoes on Ankara and extraditing suspects it seeks.
Any bid to join NATO requires backing from each of its 30 members. Turkey, which has been a NATO ally for over 70 years, has said it will not change its view unless the Nordic countries take "concrete steps" about its concerns. NATO chief Stoltenberg stressed that the security concerns of all NATO allies should be addressed.
Stoltenberg has previously said Sweden and Finland would be welcomed into NATO "with open arms," and expected the Turkey issue to be resolved before the upcoming NATO summit.
But speaking in Finland on Sunday he conceded that the dispute may drag on, saying "the summit in Madrid was never a deadline."
In late May, Turkey hosted consultations with Swedish and Finnish delegations in Ankara on their NATO applications. Erdoğan said the meetings had not been "at the desired level."
Ankara’s main demands are for the Nordic countries to halt support for the PKK/YPG in their territory and to lift their bans on sales of some arms to Turkey. Ankara says the arms ban against a NATO ally is inappropriate for prospective members of the security pact.