“You are our closest partners and your membership in NATO would increase our shared security,” Stoltenberg added at the end of the brief ceremony at the headquarters of the transatlantic military alliance.
“Allies will now consider the next steps on their path to NATO. The security interests of all allies must be taken into account and we are determined to work through all issues and come to quick conclusions,” he said.
The demand for accession of the two countries takes place in the context marked by the war in Ukraine, and although Stoltenberg said he expected a quick response, the process could encounter more obstacles than expected.
Turkey has already made it clear that it opposes the entry of the two countries into the military alliance, in particular Sweden, as that country adopts sanctions against the Turkish government.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has even suggested that Finland and Sweden not even bother sending delegations to negotiate.
“They say they will come to Turkey on Monday. Will they come to persuade us? Excuse us, but don’t bother,” he said.
In addition, Finland and Sweden reject Turkish requests for the extradition of people Ankara considers to be members of “terrorist organizations”.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, has a meeting in New York with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on the agenda for the day.
On Tuesday, Russia expelled two Finnish diplomats and announced its withdrawal from the Baltic Council, a forum of countries in the Baltic Sea region that is based in Stockholm.