A “quick solution” must be found to lift Turkey’s veto on the NATO membership of Finland and Sweden, French President Emmanuel Macron told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Macron spoke with the Turkish president on May 26 and “stressed the importance of respecting the sovereign choice of these two countries” made “in response to the evolution of their security environment,” the Elysée said. The French president called for discussions to continue so that a “rapid solution” could be found to lift Turkey’s veto on NATO membership.
The French and Turkish heads of state agreed to extend efforts “in a spirit of coordination in order to obtain a ceasefire and a return to respect for international humanitarian law” and to “make possible Ukrainian grain exports on which many countries depend for their food security,” the Élysée said.
Erdogan has repeatedly voiced his opposition to Finland and Sweden joining the Atlantic alliance. He has accused the two countries of being a “safe haven for the terrorists of the PKK”, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
