Turkish Foreign Minister Says Sweden Already Knows Finland Decision Will Approval in Stockholm Before NATO Summit?

JAKARTA - Turkey may approve Sweden's application to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) before the alliance's summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July, but it depends on Stockholm itself, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

"Last Friday, I spoke with the Swedish foreign minister. I told him about the decision regarding Finland, so that he would know about it from us in advance," explained Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, as reported by TASS, March 21.

"He expressed his hope that the NATO accession process would be completed before the alliance summit, to which I replied, 'It all depends on you," said Foreign Minister Cavusoglu.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, Ankara was ready to ratify Finland's application for NATO membership. The relevant protocols have been submitted to the Turkish parliament for review. Finland's application is expected to be approved this week.

As previously reported, Turkey's reluctance to approve Sweden's candidacy as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), means that Stockholm and Helsinki may not enter the alliance together, with the President of Finland visiting Turkey this Thursday.

"It is possible that Sweden and Finland will ratify in different ways," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a news conference, according to public broadcaster SVT, as reported by Politico.

On Wednesday, Ulf Kristersson said Sweden was prepared to face the reality that it might not be accepted into membership as quickly as Finland.

PM Kristersson said the hope is that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will lift his veto after the general elections in Turkey in May.

"We are prepared for that situation. Of course, we are looking forward to a speedy ratification process after the Turkish elections and we are very comfortable with all the support we are receiving from other NATO allies," he explained during a visit to Germany, as quoted by The National News.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, signing a pact agreeing to harden their stance on Kurdish dissidents in exchange for support from Turkey.

However, Ankara's continued objections have hampered the process, particularly directed at Sweden, especially after the burning of a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Candidates for NATO membership must obtain approval from all 30 member nations of the alliance. Until now, only Turkey and Hungary, NATO members who have not ratified Sweden and Finland's membership applications.