Scholz expresses confidence in Finland, Sweden´s rapid NATO accession

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that he thought Sweden and Finland would be able to join NATO soon, reported dpa.

"I have great confidence that it will now happen very quickly," Scholz said after a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in Stockholm.

He did not mention any specific dates but said he was confident that the seven NATO states that had not yet ratified accession would do so soon. He named in particular Turkey, which had blocked accession for a long time.

Shortly before a NATO summit in June, Sweden and Finland reached an agreement with Ankara according to which they expressed support for Turkey against threats to its national security and said they would facilitate the deportation of suspects wanted by Turkey.

Andersson said that Sweden would abide by the agreement her country had reached with Turkey, and thanked Scholz for supporting Sweden's NATO application.

Sweden, which has been traditionally neutral, is joining the Western defence alliance alongside Finland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.