“PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE”
Sweden has already taken a series of measures aimed at appeasing Türkiye’s concerns.
It has agreed to extradite a self-proclaimed supporter of the Kurdish militants who was convicted of drug trafficking and arrested in Sweden in August last year.
Türkiye “was able to raise some concerns that it had. Finland and Sweden have both addressed those concerns and, in our judgement, addressed them appropriately and effectively”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week.
“And that’s what we’re looking to see take place over the coming weeks.”
Wednesday’s lower-level talks in Ankara ended with an agreement for the two sides and Finland to meet again at an undisclosed time.
“My chief of staff is at the meeting. I just spoke to him and he could inform that the meeting took place in a constructive atmosphere,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels.
“So progress has been made and we will continue to work for the ratification of Sweden as soon as possible.”
Türkiye’s parliament has returned from its election campaign break and is scheduled to be in session until the two-day Vilnius summit starts on Jul 11.
Hungary’s parliament has extended its current session – which had been due to end on Thursday – until Jul 7.
Its “extraordinary summer session” is officially focused on adopting a budget but could also take up the Swedish ratification vote.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Erdogan both enjoy good working relations with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Orban’s ruling party scheduled a Finnish ratification vote in the Hungarian parliament just moments after Erdogan lifted his own objections in March.
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