North Macedonia's foreign minister has expressed hope that Finland and Sweden will be accepted to NATO as soon as possible.

Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani was speaking at a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. He arrived in Japan on the previous day.

The Balkan nation joined NATO in 2020 and is the newest member of the military alliance.

Osmani said the NATO membership of Finland and Sweden would strengthen the alliance and contribute to peace and stability. The two nations applied to join earlier this month.

Referring to Turkey's reluctance to admit them, Osmani said his country encourages dialogue between the three nations to overcome their differences as soon as possible.

He stressed the significance of North Macedonia's entry to the alliance. He said his country does not see threats to its territory because it is under the security umbrella of NATO.

On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Osmani said unless countries that value democracy respond with unity, the conflict may spread to other regions of the world. He stressed the need for a response not only by Europe but by the entire world.