The press conference with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M), Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) and Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) begins at 6:15 p.m.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto aired on Tuesday morning for the first time publicly the idea that Finland can join NATO without Sweden, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday evening that Sweden should not expect Turkey to support Sweden’s application to NATO.
But Tobias Billström (M) still expects that there will be a joint entry.
— Yes, I am completely convinced of that. There are many good reasons for this, Billström told Swedish media in Brussels earlier on Tuesday.
Turkey’s opposition to Sweden joining has increased since the right-wing extremist provocateur Rasmus Paludan last Saturday burned a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
The strained relationships are visible in several ways. During Wednesday, Sweden’s embassy in Ankara is closed due to expected protests. A planned meeting between Turkey, Finland and Sweden is postponed indefinitely.