MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2023) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday he would travel to Turkey in the near future to discuss Sweden's bid for membership in the alliance.
"I always highlight the importance of making progress on the accession of Sweden. And I will also travel to Ankara in the near future to continue to address how we can ensure the fastest possible accession of Sweden," he said ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo.
Stoltenberg also said that he had a conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this week, but did not specify the precise date of the visit.
He added that many members of the alliance were going to reiterate their support for Sweden's early accession to NATO at today's meeting.
Sweden, along with Finland, submitted its NATO application in May 2022, several months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. Finland became a member of the alliance in April. Sweden's application is still pending approval from Hungary and Turkey.
