NATO's Stoltenberg praises 'steps taken' to address Türkiye's concerns

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has said he welcomes the steps taken to address Türkiye's concerns, including the fight against the PKK terror group.

"I welcome the serious steps already taken to address Türkiye's concerns. Our dialogue continues, to find a united way forward," Stoltenberg said on Tuesday at a joint news conference following the meeting of the seven NATO allies in The Hague, Netherlands.

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by Russia's attacks on Ukraine, which began on February 24.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their membership bids, criticising the countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups, such as the PKK and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (or FETO).

Stoltenberg noted that the countries need to take concerns seriously raised by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Türkiye is facing serious terrorist threats.

"There is no other NATO ally that has suffered more terrorist attacks than Türkiye," Stoltenberg said.

"And when an important ally so Türkiye raises these concerns of course you have to sit down and do as we always do as NATO and there are differences, discuss, consult and then find a way for united forward."

The accession requires unanimous approval of all 30 NATO member states.

In late May, Türkiye hosted consultations with Swedish and Finnish delegations on their NATO applications in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the meetings had not been "at the desired level."

READ MORE: Amineh Kakabaveh: The MP standing between Sweden and NATO

NATO Madrid summit

About the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of this month, Stoltenberg said it would be "historic and transformative."

The allied leaders "had an excellent discussion on our preparations, including on the need to continue strong support for Ukraine, both in the short term but also over the longer term," he said.

"I look forward to welcoming the (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy to address NATO leaders at our summit in Madrid," he added.

The NATO chief also underlined that the allies will agree to "a major strengthening of our posture," which will require "more robust and combat-ready forward presence, even higher readiness, and more pre-positioned equipment and supplies."

He also welcomed that more and more allies are moving to spend at least two percent of GDP on defence.

On the NATO strategic concept to be agreed in Madrid, Stoltenberg said the document will "assess our changed security environment, and reaffirm our fundamental values and tasks; it will be a blueprint for the alliance's future."

Stoltenberg joined the leaders of seven NATO allies to help prepare the alliance's summit in Madrid slated for June 29-30.

READ MORE: Why Türkiye opposes Sweden and Finland's NATO bid

READ MORE: To be or NATO be: Has Ukraine conflict left the alliance divided?