Turkey asserts it will not succumb to pressure in supporting Sweden’s aspirations to join NATO, stating that it is still evaluating whether Sweden’s entry would benefit or harm the alliance.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made these remarks ahead of his meeting with the Swedish counterpart in Brussels.

While NATO aims to include Sweden before the upcoming summit in Lithuania, Turkey and Hungary, both NATO members, are stalling the ratification process due to individual disputes with Stockholm and Brussels.

Unanimous approval from existing members is required for new countries to join the powerful defense organization.

Turkey cited concerns about Sweden’s inability to prevent provocations and questioned the advantages and drawbacks of Sweden’s NATO membership in terms of strategy and security.

Hungary has indicated that it will follow Turkey’s stance on the matter.