The US ambassador to NATO, Julian Smith, said that her country seeks to allay Turkish concerns regarding Finland and Sweden’s accession to the alliance.
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She added in an online press statement on Wednesday that just as membership of Finland and Sweden is in the interest of the alliance, dispelling Turkey’s fears and working with it is also in the interest of NATO.
She explained that they are seeking “behind closed doors” to remove Turkish concerns in this regard.
She reported that Finland and Sweden are continuing their meetings with Turkish officials to remove Ankara’s concerns about the two European countries’ accession to NATO.
She stressed that Washington is also communicating with Turkey, Finland and Sweden in this regard.
Sweden and Finland submitted an official application to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by the Russian war against Ukraine, while Ankara refuses to accept the membership of the two mentioned countries, because of their support for terrorist organizations.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously confirmed that his country’s approval for Sweden and Finland to join NATO depends on the extent to which these two countries take into account security concerns.
