Turkey backs Sweden’s bid to join NATO

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has agreed to submit the protocol for Sweden's accession to NATO to the parliament in Ankara for ratification as soon as possible.

This was announced in Vilnius by the Secretary General of the Pact, Jens Stoltenberg, after a meeting with Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

He called the step "historic", which effectively guarantees Stockholm's entry into the alliance. The Mejlis in Ankara is dominated by Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The three leaders met behind closed doors ahead of a two-day NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital. There was no press conference after their talks. The Pact issued a statement from Stoltenberg.

He welcomed Erdogan's decision. And he pointed out that Turkey and Sweden have worked closely together since the 2022 Madrid summit.

"The aim was to address Ankara's concerns. As a result, the Scandinavian country changed its constitution, expanded anti-terrorist cooperation in the fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and resumed arms exports to Turkey," the Secretary General pointed out.

NATO will also strengthen its work in this area, creating for the first time in its history the post of a special counter-terrorism coordinator, Storltenberg added.

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