Türkiye, Sweden to hold meeting for NATO bid in June: NATO

ISTANBUL

Türkiye, Sweden and Finland will hold a meeting in the coming days to discuss the Swedish bid to join the alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said, after a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and newly appointed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Following more than a one-hour meeting with Erdoğan in Istanbul on June 4, Stoltenberg said the joint permanent mechanism that has been established between Türkiye, Sweden and Finland will convene in the coming days in June.

“Sweden has fulfilled its obligations,” Stoltenberg said, recalling that the NATO-aspirant country has amended its anti-terror law and started to implement it as of June 1. On a question Stoltenberg underlined that there is enough time for the approval of the Swedish application by the Turkish Parliament until the Vilnius Summit of the NATO leaders. Apart from Türkiye, Hungary did not ratify Sweden’s bid to enter the alliance.

The leaders from 31 allied nations will meet at a critical summit to discuss the alliance’s future strategy in the face of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Stoltenberg stressed that he discussed the agenda of the Vilnius Summit with President Erdoğan by underlining that fight against any sort of terrorism will also be on the summit agenda.

NATO chief, the United States and most of the prominent allies want to see Sweden as the 32nd full member of NATO at Vilnius Summit. Türkiye says Sweden has to take more tangible and solid steps to stop the PKK’s activities on its soils. A recent PKK-led demonstration in Sweden has disturbed Türkiye as the protestors targeted President Erdoğan.

Stoltenberg acknowledged the fact that peaceful demonstrations are part of the Swedish constitution, but these events aim to prevent Sweden’s entrance to NATO and developing ties with Türkiye. “Obviously, we should not allow this,” he suggested.

The NATO chief thanked Türkiye for sending additional troops to Kosovo where tension has escalated between local Serbs and Kosovar law enforcement. Türkiye is a critically important ally and has been contributing the collective security of the alliance in different theaters, recalled the NATO secretary-general.