"Turkey made it clear that its intention is not to block membership," Stoltenberg told reporters virtually after alliance foreign ministers met in Berlin.

He said he was in touch with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after Ankara alleged that the Nordic nations were home to "terrorists', a reference to Kurdish separatists.

"I am confident we'll be able to find common ground, consensus on how to move on membership issues," Stoltenberg said.