U.S is hopeful that Finland and Sweden's NATO bid resolution will be successful

U.S is hopeful that Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid resolution will be successful

The chief representative for Europe at the State Department expressed optimism on Wednesday that Turkey, Finland, and Sweden’s disagreements over the two Nordic nations’ applications to join NATO would soon be resolved favorably.

Washington acknowledged that the meetings between the parties earlier this week had been fruitful, according to Karen Donfried, assistant secretary for Europe and Eurasian affairs, who spoke before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) hearing.

“We have faith that a satisfactory solution will be found. The NATO alliance is overwhelmingly in favor of Finland and Sweden joining, “She said.

In reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden sought to join NATO. Turkey has opposed the bids, claiming that Helsinki and Stockholm have supported Kurdish insurgents and placed weapons embargoes on Ankara.

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On June 29–30, NATO’s top brass will meet in Madrid. All 30 NATO countries must consent before joining the organization. Turkey has been a member of NATO for more than 70 years and has the second-largest army in the organization.

When asked whether she thought that everyone would agree by the Madrid summit the following week, Donfried said, “I would say that we’re striving for that.”

Senior Turkish officials did not convey the same feeling of urgency as Donfried when speaking to reporters in Brussels earlier this week after meeting with high-ranking representatives from Sweden, Finland, and NATO. They also stated that the NATO summit was not a deadline.

According to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, any movement on the Nordic membership applications “now rests on the direction and pace at which these countries would take moves.”