Swedish PM Kristersson: Door to NATO not closed despite row with Türkiye

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is optimistic about joining NATO in the summer, despite an ongoing dispute with Türkiye.

"There is a chance, without any doubt," Kristersson told the Swedish news agency TT, according to a report on Thursday. While he did not put a timetable on it, he said he hoped "it will happen as soon as possible."

Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sweden could not count on his country's support for accession after an Islamophobic politician burned a copy of Quran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

However, Türkiye has never explicitly said that the door was completely closed to Sweden, Kristersson told TT. This was also the impression given by the rounds of talks held with Türkiye since last summer, he said.

"We can have different views on where in the process we are, but there is no doubt about the ultimate goal of the process," the prime minister said.

Kristersson also pointed to the pressure that would be put on Türkiye by a large majority of NATO countries. "But it is Türkiye that makes the Turkish decision and no one else."

Sweden and Finland applied to join the defence alliance last year. So far 28 of the 30 NATO countries have approved the applications, with only Hungary and Türkiye holding out against them.

"It would be very bad for Swedish security if it took longer than absolutely necessary," Kristersson said. He added that it was now a matter of cooling down the "heated situation", and that he was "ready to talk to Erdoğan at any time."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, however, struck a more pessimistic tone on Thursday.

Trilateral meetings with Sweden and Finland will "make no sense in this climate," Çavuşoğlu told reporters in Ankara.

Sweden must take concrete steps, Çavuşoğlu added without elaborating when talks would resume.