Stoltenberg to Meet Erdogan in Sweden during Ankara Visit
NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke to the press before the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, stating his plans to visit Ankara in the near future to discuss Sweden’s potential membership in the organization. Stoltenberg mentioned that he had already discussed this topic with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the beginning of the week. While Stoltenberg emphasized he would go to Ankara alone, he welcomed the quick admission process of Sweden. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2021, with Finland already becoming a member. Stoltenberg believes that Swedish membership would benefit both NATO and Turkey and is positive that Swedish membership will happen soon. He also mentioned that his message is Swedish membership is good for Sweden, Scandinavia, the Baltic States, NATO, and Turkey. Stoltenberg concluded by acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the exact date of his Ankara visit.
