Finland 'Ready', PM Kristersson Hopes Turkey Ratifies Sweden's NATO Membership After May Election

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. (Wikimedia Commons/FinnishGovernment)

JAKARTA - Turkey's struggle to approve Sweden's candidacy as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), leaving Stockholm and Helsinki unlikely to join the alliance, with Finnish President this Thursday visiting Turkey.

"It is possible that Sweden and Finland will ratify with different steps," Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference, according to public broadcaster SVT, as reported by Politico March 16.

On Wednesday, Sweden Ulf Kristersson said Sweden was ready to face the reality that it might not be accepted to be a member as soon as Finland.

PM Kristersson mengungkapkan, harapannya adalah Presiden Turki Recep Tayyip Erdogan akan mencabut hak vetonya setelah pemilihan umum di Turki pada Bulan Mei.

This happened when President Erdogan signaled Turkey was close to approving a request from Finland, while his President Sauli Niinisto will arrive in Ankara today.

"We will meet with the President (Ninisto) and fulfill the promises we have made," said President Erdogan, citing The National News.

PM Kristersson said Swedish officials "not hiding at all" they " prefer to be ratified together". However, they also admit that Turkey has the right to ratify Finland first.

"We are ready to face the situation. Of course, we hope for a fast ratification process after the Turkish general election and we feel very comfortable with all the support we receive from other NATO allies," he explained during a visit to Germany.

To date, only Turkey and Hungary are NATO members who have not ratified the Swedish and Finnish membership applications. Hungarian lawmakers began considering the two applications this month. Meanwhile, the Turkish parliament had until mid-April before disbanding for the May general election.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he hoped the two countries would soon join NATO, describing their access as important "for our security".

He said their app had moved quickly according to historical standards, despite Turkey's delays.

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

However, Ankara's continuing objections have hampered the process, particularly aimed at Sweden, especially after the burning of a copy of the Qur'an outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

At a press conference on Monday, PM Kristersson expressed his belief that Sweden could still join the military alliance in the future.

"It's not about whether Sweden will become a NATO member, but about when Sweden will become a NATO member."