VILNIUS: NATO is set to hold discussions on Sweden’s potential entry into the alliance ahead of its upcoming summit next month, following an agreement with Turkey, which had been delaying the bid, announced NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday.
Stoltenberg revealed that he had recently spoken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and reached an understanding to convene a high-level meeting in Brussels before the summit. This meeting will involve foreign ministers, heads of intelligence, and national security advisors, with the objective of advancing Sweden’s accession process within NATO, Stoltenberg explained.
The NATO Secretary General addressed reporters in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, which is scheduled to host the NATO summit on July 11-12.
Sweden’s NATO Membership Bid
While Sweden has been an invitee to NATO since June 2022, its membership bid, which requires ratification by all 31 member states, has faced obstacles from Turkey and Hungary.
Western officials had been hopeful that Erdogan would soften his stance on this diplomatically sensitive issue following his hard-won re-election last month.
Western nations, particularly the United States, have been urging Ankara to provide its approval, asserting that Sweden has fulfilled the conditions outlined in a deal agreed upon with Turkey last year. The agreement includes a commitment from Sweden to take action against Kurdish opposition movements, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as “terrorist” organizations.
