Turkish foreign minister, NATO chief discuss alliance's enlargement policy

By Zehra Nur Duz and Mustafa Deveci

ANKARA (AA) – The Turkish foreign minister and the NATO secretary general discussed the military alliance's enlargement policy in a phone call on Tuesday, according to sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

The conversation between Mevlut Cavusoglu and Jens Stoltenberg took place amid Sweden and Finland's applications to join NATO.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups, such as the PKK and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). The accession requires unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member states.

Late May, Türkiye hosted consultations with Swedish and Finnish delegations on their NATO applications in the capital Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the meetings had not been "at the desired level."

Meanwhile, Cavusoglu also met with Milorad Dodik, a Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential Council, in Istanbul on Tuesday.

"We discussed developments in our region, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Cavusoglu said on Twitter.