Turkey: more steps needed for nod to Nordic states’ NATO bid

BUCHAREST (AP) — Turkey’s foreign minister says Sweden and Finland have made some progress in meeting Turkey’s security concerns but still need to undertake “concrete steps” to win Ankara’s approval for their NATO membership bids. Sweden and Finland applied to join in April, amid concern that Russia might target them next. Turkey and Hungary are the holdouts among 30 NATO members on ratifying their applications. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that his country does “not ignore” some positive steps but that there was “no concrete development” concerning other demands, including the extradition of suspects wanted by Turkish authorities. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he’s confident the two Nordic countries would soon join NATO.