Stoltenberg: NATO did not expect Turkey’s tough position on the membership of Finland and Sweden

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance did not expect Turkey’s tough position on the membership of Finland and Sweden.

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“Earlier during the process, we had no reason to believe that there would be any problems in this matter,” he said.

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At the same time, he added that Turkey’s “concerns” are nothing new.

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“Turkey is an important ally. When an ally points out a security concern, we need to address it,” he said.

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On June 8, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish side still does not support the membership of Sweden and Finland in NATO.