As the minister declares that “all commitments” have been met, the NATO chief will go to Turkey to urge Sweden to join

Following the reelection of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that he will go to Ankara “shortly” to press for Sweden’s membership.

At a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said, “I’m convinced of course that Sweden will be a member, and then we’re working for that to happen as early as feasible.

Earlier this week, according to Stoltenberg, he had a phone conversation with Erdogan to “highlight the importance of making progress” on Sweden’s membership.

Only Turkey and Hungary have not yet approved Sweden’s application for membership in NATO.

In April, Finland officially joined the coalition.

Erdogan, who was elected Sunday to a second five-year term as president of Turkey, has claimed that Sweden is a sanctuary for “terrorists,” particularly KDP (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) members.

Tobias Billstrom, the foreign minister of Sweden, said that his nation has met “all the commitments” to join NATO and pleaded for Turkey and Hungary to do the same.

He said that it was time for Turkey and Hungary to begin the process of ratifying Sweden’s accession to NATO.

This was a marathon that was never going to finish, and we can finally see it.

As the last phase in a deal reached with Turkey last year, Billstrom noted the implementation of new anti-terror laws in Sweden on Thursday.

In the next weeks, Billstrom said he planned to meet with Turkish officials and see a significant step taken toward membership.

The ratification will take place after that meeting, Billstrom said.