Turkey will not formally agree to Finland and Sweden joining NATO until both countries take the "necessary steps" to do so. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his position clear at an informal meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Istanbul on Friday. Depending on how quickly the two Scandinavian countries acted, the approval process would also be faster or slower, Erdoğan explained.

According to a statement by the defence alliance, Stoltenberg stressed at the meeting that the inclusion of Sweden and Finland "will make NATO stronger". The day before, after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Stoltenberg said it was time to "welcome Finland and Sweden as full members of NATO". Both countries, he said, implemented the commitments made in an agreement in June. The admission was also important to send a clear message to Russia, Stoltenberg said, referring to the war of aggression in Ukraine.

Sweden and Finland had broken with their decades-long tradition of military alliance neutrality after the Russian attack on Ukraine and applied for NATO membership in May. Erdogan initially blocked the start of membership negotiations on the grounds that both countries were offering safe haven to members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The Turkish regime leader also demanded the extradition of certain people. In June, the two northern countries concluded an agreement with Turkey in which they pledged to support Ankara's "fight against terrorism". They also signalled concessions on other demands.

Next Tuesday, the new Swedish head of government Ulf Kristersson is expected to hold talks with Erdogan in Ankara. The government in Stockholm hopes that the trip will lead to Turkey's approval to join NATO. Hungary has also not yet agreed to the accession of Sweden and Finland.