Blinken, in Turkey, backs speedy Nordics accession to Nato
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken applauds as he meets with members of USAID and base personnel durings his visit to Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey February 19, 2023. REUTERS
ANKARA — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday Washington strongly supports Sweden and Finland’s quick Nato accession given steps they have already taken, even as his Turkish counterpart stressed the need for more concrete steps.
“The United States has strong support for the Nordic accession as quickly as possible… Sweden and Finland’s Nato expansion is not a bilateral issue,” Blinken said in a joint news conference with Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.
Cavusoglu, alongside Blinken, said all parties in the alliance must convince Sweden in particular to take more action to address Ankara’s concerns and win its support for the bid.
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