Finland and Sweden are ready for NATO membership, but still have to reach consensus with Turkey first — US State Department

Despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement that his country will not ratify Sweden's NATO membership application, the United States of America believes that Finland and Sweden are ready to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

This was stated by the spokesman of the US State Department, Ned Price, EP reports.

"You know our position regarding Finland and Sweden and their accession to NATO. You have heard it from the administration; you have heard it from members of Congress. We strongly support their candidacies to join NATO. Finland and Sweden are ready to join the Alliance," Price emphasized.

The spokesman emphasized that both countries are ready to join the Alliance thanks to their military capabilities and long-standing security partnership.

"Regarding what we have seen in recent days, we support freedom of association and the right to peaceful assembly as elements of any democracy. But as the Swedish Prime Minister said, burning saints for many books is a profoundly disrespectful act.

And he emphasized that what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. We have a saying in our country — something can be legal but terrible. I think, in this case, what we saw in the context of Sweden falls into that category," Price said.

The spokesman also added that those deliberately trying to weaken unity between European allies and partners may be behind the events in Sweden.

"We believe that Finland and Sweden are ready to become NATO members. We have consistently stated this, but ultimately this is a decision and a consensus that Finland and Sweden have to reach with Turkey," Price said.

On Monday, January 23, Erdogan warned Sweden that it should not count on Turkey's support for joining NATO. This happened after the Koran was burned near the Ankara embassy in Stockholm.

According to him, if Sweden does not show respect to Turkey or Muslims, then "they will not see any support from us in the matter of NATO."

We will remind that on January 21, an anti-Turkish action was held in Stockholm under the Turkish embassy. The scandalous activist Rasmus Paludan burned the Koran on it. Directly under the embassy, ​​an action was also held in support of Turkey and its president.

The Prime Minister of Sweden condemned the burning of the Koran at an anti-Turkish rally.

On Saturday, Turkey canceled a planned visit by Sweden's defense minister in response to the Scandinavian country's permission for anti-Turkish protests.