The NATO deputy secretary general said on Sunday he was confident Turkey's concerns about Finland and Sweden joining NATO could be resolved, Reuters reported.

Turkey is an important ally and has expressed concerns that are being resolved between friends and allies, Mircea Geoana told reporters after arriving at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the alliance member countries in Berlin.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan surprised NATO members and two Scandinavian countries applying for membership by saying on Friday that Turkey cannot support the expansion of the alliance, since Finland and Sweden are home to many terrorist organizations.

Following Erdogan, the same accusations were repeated by his press secretary Ibrahim Kalin and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.