- Turkey agrees to allow Sweden’s accession to NATO
- Historic day as Sweden moves closer to joining the alliance
- Conditions met: Sweden addresses Turkey’s security concerns
It is a “historic day,” according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Sweden’s accession “makes us all safer.
The Turkish president has agreed that Sweden should be permitted to join NATO, according to the chief of the military alliance.
Jens Stoltenberg reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed to submit the Swedish accession protocol to the Turkish parliament “immediately.”
On the eve of a NATO summit in Lithuania, Mr. Stoltenberg announced discussions with Mr. Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Mr. Stoltenberg told reporters, “This is a historic day because we have a clear commitment from Turkey to submit the ratification documents to the Grand National Assembly and to work with the assembly to ensure ratification.”
Sweden has been attempting to join NATO since terminating its historic policy of neutrality in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Turkey initially opposed Sweden’s membership application because Stockholm was too lenient towards Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara views as security concerns.
However, NATO stated in a statement that Sweden and Turkey have “worked closely together to address Turkey’s legitimate security concerns” since the last summit.
“As part of this process, Sweden has amended its constitution, altered its laws, significantly expanded its counter-terrorism cooperation against the PKK (Kurdish political organization), and resumed arms exports to Turkey,” the statement continued.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that this was a “historic moment for NATO that makes us all safer” and added, “Sweden, we look forward to welcoming you into the alliance.”
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that Sweden’s membership was in “everyone’s best interest.”
Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to President Biden, expressed confidence that Sweden will join the alliance.
He stated, “This is not something we view as fundamentally uncertain.” “This is a scheduling issue. “Time is of the essence.”
Earlier, Mr. Erdogan appeared to introduce a new condition for authorizing Sweden’s NATO membership by urging European nations to “clear the path” for Turkey’s accession to the European Union.
Mr. Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, “Turkey has been waiting at the door of the European Union for over 50 years, and nearly all NATO members are now European Union members.
“I am calling on these nations that have kept Turkey waiting at the gates of the European Union for over 50 years.”
Come and pave the way for Turkey’s membership in the European Union, he added. When you clear the way for Turkey, we will clear the way for Sweden, just as we did for Finland.”
