Official Stockholm cannot fulfill all the conditions set by Ankara for the approval of Swedenʼs accession to NATO.
Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson stated this.
Commenting on a memorandum signed between Finland, Sweden, and Turkey before the latter agreed to join the alliance at a NATO summit in June, Kristersson said that no fundamental changes had taken place since then.
"Turkey simultaneously confirms that we have done what we promised to do, but also declares that it wants us to take steps that we cannot and do not want to take. And now the decision is in the hands of Turkey," said the prime minister.
At the same time, according to him, Sweden is confident that Turkey will approve Stockholmʼs application to join NATO.
- Sweden and Finland will be able to join NATO when all Alliance countries ratify the accession protocols. Of the thirty NATO countries, the accession of Sweden and Finland has not yet been ratified by Turkey and Hungary. Hungary announced plans to do so in February, while Turkey has blocked the accession process, demanding that the Nordic countries declare Kurdish organizations as terrorists, extradite those it accuses of terrorism, and lift arms embargoes on Ankara.