Istanbul, 3 November 2022 (dpa/MIA) - Finland and Sweden have fulfilled the conditions agreed upon with Turkey in June and should be allowed to join the alliance anytime soon, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Istanbul on Thursday.

"Finland and Sweden have delivered. I think the time has come to make them full members of the alliance," Stoltenberg told a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

"I look forward to welcoming both countries as full NATO members in the near future," the NATO chief said, adding he will raise the issue at a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday.

Sweden's new prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, is expected in Ankara next week for talks.

Hungary and Turkey are the two remaining members in the 30-state bloc that are yet to ratify the accession of the two Nordic countries.

The two states cooperate with Turkey in its fight against terrorism and there are more extraditions to Turkey, Stoltenberg added.

Çavuşoğlu, on the other hand, remained relatively cautious.

Steps taken by both countries so far are not satisfactory yet, the top Turkish diplomat said, adding Ankara wants to see "concrete implementation."

Negotiations in the coming days will be "critical," he added.

Turkey had been blocking Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO, citing alleged support to Kurdish militants, as well as the group of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, both of which Turkey classifies as terrorist groups.

Turkey is demanding the repatriation of some suspects and that Sweden lift its arms embargo. Sweden recently said it was ready to supply weapons to Turkey.

Ankara says Sweden also promised to extradite more than 70 "terrorists."

Stockholm did not confirm this.