Sweden seeks to overcome Turkish objections to its NATO bid

16/5/2022 19:11

        Sweden will send diplomats to Turkey to try to overcome Ankara's objections to its plan to join NATO, Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said, with a formal
        decision to hand in an application expected on Monday.
        
        Sweden's ruling Social Democrats dropped their 73-year opposition to joining NATO on Sunday and are hoping for a quick accession, abandoning decades of military non-alignment following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
        
        Finland on Sunday also confirmed it would apply to join the Atlantic military alliance.
        
        However, Turkey surprised its NATO allies by saying it would not view applications by Finland and Sweden positively, with President Tayyip Erdogan saying "Scandinavian countries are guesthouses for terrorist organisations".