NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg (pictured) said he will travel to Istanbul in the near future to meet with Turkish President Edogan to discuss the issue of Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

(Reuters)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] With Turkey's reluctance to allow Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced today (26) that he will I plan to visit Turkey and have a good discussion with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about the accession of the Nordic countries to the EU.

At a press conference welcoming Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, Stoltenberg first praised Sweden, Finland and Turkey for establishing "close contacts" at all levels, before saying, "I will travel to Istanbul recently to meet with President Edogan."

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"AFP" pointed out that Stoltenberg's trip to Turkey will be a rather sensitive visit.

According to NATO regulations, the admission of new members requires the unanimous consent of the member states. Among the 30 NATO member states, only Turkey and Hungary have not yet agreed to make Finland and Sweden partners.

Edogan had warned in early October that Turkey would not grant the two countries' membership until their "commitments" were fulfilled.

Stoltenberg said Hungary "has made it clear" that their parliament will vote on the membership of Finland and Sweden in the next few months.

"I am confident that all allies will ratify the accession agreement."