Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu stated on Monday that he will meet with his Swedish and Finnish counterparts to discuss the two countries' applications to join NATO, writes AFP.

The meeting will take place during the defense alliance's meeting in Bucharest, Romania on Tuesday.

- We will meet the foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland tomorrow in Bucharest in a trilateral format, Cavusoglu is quoted by the Turkish television channel NTV Television.

No hopes

Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) stated earlier on Monday for TT that he has no hopes of a breakthrough regarding Sweden's application at the NATO meeting.

- I do not think so.

This is a reconciliation meeting.

The important thing is that we are there and take advantage of the opportunity as special invitees and listen to what the colleagues in the NATO family are saying.

The most important thing now is that we continue to work on the projects we have within the framework of the trilateral agreement with Turkey and Finland, he said.

Billström will shortly go to Turkey as part of that work, he states.

NATO's foreign ministers meet for a two-day meeting in Bucharest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As prospective members, so-called invitees, Sweden and Finland are also invited.

Prior to the meeting, the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has pressed for Sweden's and Finland's NATO application to be ratified.

Stoltenberg: Hurry up

Last Friday, Stoltenberg clearly called on Hungary and Turkey to approve the two Nordic countries as soon as possible.

- It is time to complete the accession process and welcome (Sweden and Finland) as full members of our alliance.

This will make them safer, NATO stronger and the Euro-Atlantic area safer, Stoltenberg said at a press conference.

So far, 28 out of 30 allies have ratified Sweden's and Finland's accession protocol.

Only Hungary and Turkey remain.

Budapest recently announced that it plans to give Sweden and Finland the thumbs up in February.

But the talks between Sweden and Turkey have been judged to continue well into 2023.

Progress in new NATO talks with Turkey:

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Sweden must deport those requested by Turkey in order to get the green light for its NATO application.

That's what Turkey's ambassador to Sweden, Yönet Can Tezel, says.

Photo: SVT