INVC NEWS
Vilnius : NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Turkey has supported Sweden’s bid. Not only this, he has described Ankara’s decision as historic. Stoltenberg said, is pleased to announce that after meeting with (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and Swedish PM (Ulf Christerson), President Erdogan will send Sweden’s accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly as soon as possible. and have agreed to ensure ratification. This is a historic step that makes all NATO allies stronger and safer. The announcement came after talks between Turkish and Swedish leaders in the capital Vilnius, where a two-day NATO summit begins today.
According to the report, Turkey had previously blocked Sweden’s application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. Turkey, one of NATO’s 31 members, has the right to veto any new country joining the group. The NATO chief said that Turkey and Sweden addressed Turkey’s legitimate security concerns, leading Sweden to amend its constitution, change its laws, expand its counter-terrorism campaign against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and Turkey Arms export resumed. The announcement was welcomed by many NATO members.
Responding to the news, US President Joe Biden said he welcomed his Turkish counterpart’s commitment to move forward with early ratification. “I look forward to working with President Erdogan and Turkey on enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic region,” the White House statement said. I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Christerson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO ally. While German Foreign Minister Annalen Bierbock tweeted, at 32, we are all safe together, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Sweden’s involvement will make us all safe.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, a historic step in Vilnius. I welcome the important step that Turkey has promised to take to confirm Sweden’s NATO membership. Sweden and its eastern neighbor Finland announced their intention to join NATO in May last year in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland formally joined the alliance in April this year.
