NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg pursued Turkish President Erdogan to ratify Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the defense alliance. Addressing a briefing with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Stoltenberg said that the ‘time is now’ for Turkey to ratify applications by Finland and Sweden. Turkish President Erdogan had indicated earlier that Ankara might study Finland’s application but not Sweden’s. Ankara says Sweden has been harbouring militants from the banned PKK which is recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and U.S. Both Nordic nations have long pursued military non-alignment policies but applied for NATO membership after Russia invaded Ukraine.
