Has the way been paved for further expansion of NATO in the face of the Russian threat? NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday that Sweden had fulfilled all Turkey's demands and now had the right to join the ranks of the transatlantic alliance. He added that there was still a possibility that the move would be completed by the alliance's summit in July in Lithuania.
The secretary-general added that in eight days there will be a first meeting of representatives of Turkey, Sweden and NATO.
Turkey has so far vetoed Sweden's accession to the military alliance because of the asylum Sweden has so far granted members of the Kurdish underground, whom Ankara considers terrorists. Stoltenberg also stressed that it was difficult to see anti-Turkish demonstrations in Stockholm, but that their organizers should not be allowed to succeed in thwarting the effort to increase coordination to fight terrorism and prevent Sweden from joining NATO.
Reuters / NATO Secretary General meets with Turkish President on Sweden's accession to the alliance
The meeting between Stoltenberg and Erdogan took place a day after the Turkish president was sworn in for a third term.
Stoltenberg congratulated Erdogan on his election victory and stressed that Turkey is an important and highly respected ally. He praised the role Turkish troops play in alliance peacekeepers, including Kosovo, where violent attacks on NATO troops took place a week ago.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us