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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence that Sweden will join the Alliance.

"I am fully convinced that Sweden will become a member of NATO, a full member," he told a roundtable in Oslo, where an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers is taking place today.

Stoltenberg said this on the second day after the re-election of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish politician and prime minister. Born on February 26, 1954 in Istanbul. Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have not yet ratified Sweden's accession. Finland became the 31st member of the Alliance on April 4.

Erdogan, who was re-elected for another five-year term on Sunday, blocked the Swedish candidacy, accusing Stockholm of giving shelter to Turkish oppositionists linked to banned Kurdish extremist organizations.

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"I will talk to Ankara and President Erdogan to help this process go as quickly as possible," Stoltenberg said. He stressed that Sweden has already gone very far in preparation for joining NATO.

"Since last autumn, I believe that Sweden's accession should have already been ratified and I still take that view. But when 31 countries need to reach a consensus, it undoubtedly takes a little longer than I would like, so we're working on it."

The issue of Sweden's accession is expected to be raised again at the Vilnius Summit on 11 and 12 July.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

NATO

Jens Stoltenberg

Sweden