UPDATE - Türkiye says talks with Finland, Sweden on NATO bids to continue

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS, CHANGES DECK, ADDS NATO CHIEF'S STATEMENT

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) – Talks on Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bids will continue, and the forthcoming summit in Madrid is not an endpoint, a Turkish official said on Monday.

"As we have said before, the NATO summit (in Madrid) is not an endpoint for us, so those negotiations will continue. That's what we told our interlocutors from Finland and Sweden," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told a news conference in Brussels following NATO-hosted talks with Finland and Sweden.

Kalin and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal traveled to Brussels on Sunday for talks on Finland and Sweden's NATO membership applications.

The NATO leaders summit will be held on June 29-30 in Madrid.

He said Türkiye expects Sweden to take concrete steps against the PKK terror group, acknowledging statements by Swedish authorities in this regard.

Ankara called on Stockholm and Helsinki to prevent the terror group from collecting funds, recruiting new members, and ensuring that it ends its activities and propaganda against Türkiye, Kalin added.

The spokesman also voiced Ankara's expectations regarding the lifting of a direct or indirect arms embargo imposed on Türkiye.

In a statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Türkiye's legitimate security concerns over terrorism need to be addressed, adding: "We will continue our talks on Finland and Sweden's applications for NATO membership, and I look forward to finding a way forward as soon as possible."

"Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO would make the Alliance stronger and the whole Euro-Atlantic area more secure," he said.