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NATO 'problem child' could strain legs for Sweden and Finland's accession: 'US will try to knock the Turks into place' | Abroad | DR Turkey, as the only NATO country, is openly critical of including Sweden and Finland in the defense alliance. Later in the day, the foreign ministers of the members will meet for an informal two-day meeting in Berlin, and one thing in particular is already clear. to meet with. It writes Reuters.The rift about and the Turkish is due to the fact that the President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, yesterday stated that he is definitely not in favor of Sweden and Finland being admitted to. This is happening at a time when both countries have moved closer to the defense alliance and are expected to announce within a few days whether they will apply for membership. © Ritzau ScanpixAll European countries can apply for NATO membership if they can live up to the requirements and principles that apply to the defense alliance. The requirements are, among other things, that a country must be able to make soldiers, fighter jets or other military contributions available for NATO operations and be stable democracies where it is the elected politicians who have control over their armed forces. When a country applies for membership, a longer process begins. All member states must agree that a country must be admitted before that can happen. Erdogan is skeptical because he believes that Kurdish independence movements are too strong in Finland and Sweden. And the message from the president needs to be taken seriously. the same, says Cecilie Banke, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. - This must be done fairly quickly, otherwise Turkey may end up standing in the way of the alliance growing with two new Nordic members, she says. for the same reason, the convening of meetings has been going on since last night.- Several meetings have already been scheduled in Berlin. The Americans will to some extent try to beat the Turks in place, Cecilie Banke assesses. In one context, Turkey has been a bit of a "problem child" for several years, says the senior researcher. This is partly due to the fact that the country has acted very independently in several contexts.- Among other things, Turkey before the war in Ukraine cooperated relatively closely with Russia, says Cecilie Banke.When the war broke out on February 24, Turkey offered to act as a mediator in the conflict. A somewhat different role than the country has otherwise played for many years. The results of the meeting in Berlin will shape our immediate future. Michael Reiter, DR's correspondent in Germany be critical in relation to welcoming Sweden and Finland.- One should not be mistaken that this is probably an attitude that Turkey will be relatively firm on. Especially because in a domestic political context it is important for Erdogan to hold on and because it puts him in a position where he can demand something, says Cecilie Banke. A new membership requires everyone to vote in favor. Therefore, many will probably try to get Turkey to change its position. - Erdogan is good at getting negotiations started. It will be interesting to see how much he can actually demand. All other things being equal, he needs a good relationship with and - not least because of the pressured economic situation in Turkey right now, says Cecilie Banke. own interests and domestic affairs, which have nothing to do with. For years, for example, Greece has consistently blocked Macedonian attempts to become part of the alliance due to a name dispute. Finnish politicians are expected to make a final decision tomorrow, while Swedish counterparts are likely to do so on Monday. became a Swedish report in which the advantages and disadvantages of a possible membership were presented. This was another important step in the direction that the Swedish Riksdag can soon make a decision. Several of the largest have already stated that applying to Finland and Sweden to join the alliance will then protect them already in the transition period to a real one. membership should the need arise. This applies to the United Kingdom, among others. The expectation is not only that this weekend's meeting will be about Finland, Sweden and Turkey. At the top of the agenda is the security situation in Europe. This is what DR's Germany correspondent, Michael Reiter, says, covering the meeting from Berlin. - The war feels particularly close to many in Poland, but also in. Many are incredibly worried about President Putin and, he says. Normally, a two-day, informal meeting of foreign ministers does not make headlines. But the war in Ukraine and the whole discussion about expanding cooperation makes many people keep an eye on what takes place in the German capital. Read the lightning analysis of the meeting from Michael Reiter here: