NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday he has called a meeting of senior officials from Turkiye, Sweden and Finland on July 6 to try to overcome Turkish objections to Sweden joining the military organization.
Hungarian lawmakers, meanwhile, said a long-delayed vote in parliament on ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession bid would not happen until the autumn legislative session. That would almost certainly mean the Nordic nation will not join in time for a major July 11-12 summit.Calling the July 6 pre-summit meeting had represented a last-ditch effort by Stoltenberg to have the Nordic country standing among NATO's ranks as a member for the summit.
NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand. Turkiye accuses Sweden of being too lenient on groups that Ankara says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt. Hungary is also delaying its approval of Sweden’s candidacy but has never clearly stated publicly what its concerns are. NATO officials expect that it will follow suit once Turkiye lifts its objections.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sweden’s NATO membership bid on the agenda as Trudeau, Nordic leaders meet in IcelandThe two-day event follows a weekend of military chaos in Russia and comes just ahead of the annual NATO leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania cdnpoli
Read more »
Sweden wants to join NATO by next month, PM says - National | Globalnews.caSweden has set its sights on joining at the alliance's July 11-12 summit, but both Turkey and Hungary have so far held back from ratification.
Read more »
Community Art Days coming back to downtown Prince GeorgeTwo Rivers Gallery’s BMO Community Art Days will take place July 7 to July 8
Read more »
Protesters burn Koran at Stockholm mosque on Eid holidayA series of demonstrations in Sweden against Islam have offended Ankara, whose backing Sweden needs to gain entry to NATO
Read more »
Ottawa Senators to play two games in Sweden this seasonThe Ottawa Senators have announced their schedule for the 2023-24 regular season, which includes two matches overseas.
Read more »
Maple Leafs announce upcoming season schedule, highlighted by two games in SwedenThe Toronto Maple Leafs have announced their 2023-24 schedule, and for the first time ever, they’ll be playing a regular season game outside of North America when they visit Sweden in November.
Read more »