Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Friday that Sweden aims to make constructive progress in talks with Turkey over the Nordic country's application to join NATO, which Ankara has opposed due to the country’s support for terrorism.
"Our application has received broad support among NATO members," she said in a foreign policy declaration after Sweden, alongside Finland, applied last month to join the military alliance as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Our ambition is to, in a constructive spirit, make progress on the questions that Turkey has raised," she told parliament.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last month – a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.
But Turkey, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
All membership applications must be met by unanimity in the 30-member alliance to be successful.
Ankara's main demands are for the Nordic countries to halt support for the PKK and the YPG terrorist groups present on their territory, and to lift their bans on sales of some arms to Turkey. Ankara says the arms ban against an ally is inappropriate for prospective members of the security pact.
