Washington: The Biden administration on Thursday bluntly urged the remaining NATO members to approve the membership applications of Finland and Sweden, stating that it is time for Turkey to do so.
"Remaining allies swiftly confirmed their accession," but the US attaches great importance, according to the State Department, which reports that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has discussed the US's commitment to Finland and Sweden in a phone call with their foreign ministers. expressed unwavering support.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken "reiterated US support for Finland and Sweden's NATO accession" in nearly identical statements about the two calls, which were made public only 13 minutes apart.
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Regarding the call with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Price said he "reiterated our firm belief that Finland and Sweden are ready to join the coalition." The United States pleads with the remaining Allies to ratify their accession as soon as possible.
The call came just a day after Blinken met with Turkey's foreign minister, whose nation is the most vocal opponent of Finland and Sweden joining NATO. The statements did not specifically mention Turkey, but did refer to that country.
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Both countries submitted NATO membership applications last year after concerns over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Of the alliance's thirty members, only Hungary and Turkey have not yet ratified their membership, although Hungary's ratification is considered a mere formality.
While this is underway, Turkey has expressed strong concerns about Nordic nations joining the coalition due to their support of Kurdish organizations, which Ankara sees as terrorist threats. Before agreeing to Sweden's membership in NATO, Turkey demanded that the country do more to control these Kurdish groups.
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