Stoltenberg Discusses Finland and Sweden's NATO Membership Requests with Erdogan

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that he discussed Finland and Sweden's requests for NATO membership with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and negotiations will continue next week. In a statement on his Twitter page, Stoltenberg said: "Good call with Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Finland and Sweden's applications to join NATO. We agreed to continue discussions in Brussels and Madrid next week." On May 18, Finland and Sweden submitted their application to the NATO Secretary General to join the alliance. Subsequently, the Turkish president remarked that Ankara cannot say "yes" to Finland and Sweden's NATO membership due to their connections with representatives of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey.