A plane carrying Sweden’s foreign minister and justice minister was forced to return to Stockholm on Wednesday due to a technical issue, leading to the postponement of a key security meeting with Turkish officials, Swedish authorities announced.
According to the Swedish foreign ministry, neither the crew nor the passengers were in any immediate danger, and a new date for the meeting will be scheduled soon.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer were set to meet with Turkish officials for the first time to discuss a security pact. The agreement is part of a process to secure Ankara’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Turkey had given the green light to Sweden’s NATO membership in January after more than a year of delays, driven by concerns over Sweden’s stance on groups and individuals Turkey considers terrorists, as well as a previous arms embargo that Stockholm later lifted.