Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson shake hands in front of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg prior to their meeting, on the eve of a NATO summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Monday.
Yves Herman/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Yves Herman/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkey’s leader has agreed to have the Turkish parliament vote on Sweden’s bid to join the defense alliance.
Following talks the NATO chief held Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Stoltenberg said, “I’m glad to announce that, as a result, President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly as soon as possible and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification.”
Glad to announce that after the meeting I hosted with @RTErdogan & @SwedishPM, President Erdogan has agreed to forward #Sweden‘s accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly ASAP & ensure ratification. This is an historic step which makes all #NATO Allies stronger & safer. pic.twitter.com/D7OeR5Vgba
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) July 10, 2023
President Biden swiftly issued a statement following Stoltenberg’s talks with the Turkish and Swedish leaders, saying he’s “ready to work” with Turkey on enhanced defense and looks forward to “welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO Ally.”
Turkey has held up Sweden’s NATO membership since last year, citing concerns about militants Turkey says are present in Sweden.
But in a surprise move earlier Monday, Erdogan said his government could approve Sweden’s bid to join NATO if European countries also “open the way” for Turkey to join the European Union.
The European Commission, however, said those are two completely separate tracks. Commission spokesperson Dana Spinant told reporters “you cannot link the two processes.”