Sweden will send diplomats to Turkey to try to overcome Ankara's objections to its plan to join NATO, - stated by the Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist, according to Reuters.
"We will send a group of diplomats to hold discussions and have a dialogue with Turkey so we can see how this can be resolved and what this is really about," Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told SVT [public service broadcaster].
Sweden is expected to announce a formal decision on its application to join NATO today.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine due to russia's threats against them, non-aligned Sweden and Finland have expressed their readiness to join NATO. Finland has already made an official statement in this regard. Their intentions were supported by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the United States. But Turkey opposed it, saying "Scandinavian countries are guesthouses for terrorist organisations." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling for an end to support for Kurdish militants on their territory and the lifting of a ban on the sale of certain weapons to Turkey.
Stoltenberg noted that Turkey's concerns could be resolved. The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO requires the consent of all 30 Allies.