NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana has said he is sure the alliance will be able to overcome Turkey’s objections to Finland and Sweden becoming new members.
“Turkey is an important ally and expressed concerns that are addressed between friends and allies,” Geoana told reporters during an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Berlin on Sunday.
“I am confident if these countries [Finland and Sweden] decide to seek membership in NATO we will be able to welcome them, to find all conditions for consensus to be met,” he added.
Finland and Sweden stayed out of NATO during the Cold War, but the governments of the two Nordic countries have said they’ve reconsidered their stance after the launch of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in late February.
On Sunday, Helsinki said it had officially decided join the bloc, but the move still needs approval from parliament. A similar announcement is expected from Stockholm within days, according to media reports.