Finnish and NATO flags are seen printed on paper this illustration taken April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

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BERLIN, May 14 (Reuters) – Norway on Saturday backed Finnish and Swedish plans to join NATO against criticism from Turkey.

“We don’t know what Turkey really means but from (the) Norwegian perspective, we are 100% behind Finland and Sweden if they decide to apply for membership in NATO,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeld said as she arrived for a meeting with her NATO counterparts in Berlin.

“This will also strengthen the Nordic cooperation because we chose differently after World War 2, so I think that this is a historic moment right now,” she added.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra echoed her, saying it was important that all NATO members showed unity.

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Reporting by Sabine Siebold, John Irish, Riham Alkoussa, Maria Sheahan
Editing by Riham Alkousaa

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