Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his support for Sweden’s bid to join NATO, ending a year-long blockage by Turkey citing security concerns. NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Erdogan has agreed to forward Sweden’s membership bid to Turkey’s parliament for ratification.
During talks in Vilnius, Lithuania, with Erdogan and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Stoltenberg expressed his satisfaction with Turkey’s decision to move forward. He announced that Erdogan has agreed to submit the accession protocol to the Turkish Grand National Assembly and work closely with the assembly to ensure its ratification, describing it as a historic day.
Turkey had previously objected to Sweden’s NATO accession due to allegations that Stockholm was harboring Kurdish activists that Ankara considers as “terrorists.” However, a joint statement issued after the talks emphasized that Turkey and Sweden would enhance counter-terrorism coordination and strengthen bilateral trade ties.
Earlier in the day, Erdogan made a surprise announcement, linking Turkey’s stalled EU membership bid with Sweden’s NATO aspirations. He demanded that the European Union revive Turkey’s EU membership bid as a precondition for Sweden’s NATO membership. Erdogan urged EU member countries that have kept Turkey waiting for over 50 years to pave the way for its membership, suggesting that Turkey would reciprocate by supporting Sweden’s NATO bid.
US President Joe Biden commended Erdogan’s commitment to Sweden’s NATO bid and expressed his readiness to work with Turkey in enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. The White House statement also welcomed Sweden as the 32nd NATO ally and thanked Secretary General Stoltenberg for his leadership.
