Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to send Sweden’s request to join the NATO military alliance to parliament, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday ahead of a NATO summit in Vilnius. Reuters.
“I am pleased to announce that President Erdogan has agreed to send Sweden’s accession protocol to the Grand Assembly as soon as possible and to work closely with the Assembly to ensure ratification,” Stoltenberg told a press conference.
Stoltenberg spoke in Vilnius after talks between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Ulf Kristerson ahead of a NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital.
He described it as a “historic move” but could not give a “clear date” for when Sweden could join the military alliance, the BBC reported.
NATO published a seven-point press release on its website, which concluded, “Taking into account the deterrence and security imperatives of the Euro-Atlantic region, Turkey will submit Sweden’s accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly and it will cooperate closely to ensure the agreement,” News.ro reported.
The report did not provide further details and did not specify any time frame for this approach, but it announced the creation of ministerial working groups between Sweden and Turkey, after which Sweden would present a roadmap with the measures it intends to take to meet the conditions. Ankara in the fight against terrorism.
NATO’s press release also announced that, in response to Turkey’s concerns, the alliance would for the first time create a special coordinator position to fight terrorism.
The statement, sent after a meeting of the three officials on Monday evening, said, among other things, that Sweden would actively support efforts to “renew Turkey’s EU accession process, including the modernization of the EU-Turkey customs union and visa liberalisation”.
US President Joe Biden, for his part, will hold face-to-face talks with Turkish President Erdogan during the Vilnius summit.
NATO press release
Following Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg’s talks Monday evening with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson, we present the full NATO press release:
“On July 10, 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met at the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
Since the last NATO summit, Sweden and Turkey have worked closely together to address Turkey’s legitimate security concerns. As part of this process, Sweden amended its constitution, changed its laws, significantly expanded its counterterrorism cooperation against the PKK, and resumed arms exports to Turkey, all stipulated in a tripartite memorandum agreed to in 2022.
Sweden and Turkey today agree to continue their cooperation in the Trilateral Permanent Partnership Mechanism established at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid and in a new bilateral defense agreement that will meet annually at ministerial level and create working groups. The case may be. At the first meeting of this security agreement, Sweden will present a roadmap as a basis for its continued fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, with the aim of fully implementing all elements of the tripartite memorandum, including Article 4. Sweden reiterates the fact that it does not support the YPG/PYD (a group of Kurdish fighters – no) and the organization described as FETÖ in Turkey (the organization that Ankara considers responsible for the 2016 failed coup – no).
Both Sweden and Turkey agree that cooperation in the field of combating terrorism is a long-term effort, even after Sweden’s accession to NATO. Secretary General Stoltenberg reaffirmed that NATO categorically condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. NATO will significantly intensify its work in this area, including the establishment by a Secretary-General of the post of Special Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism for the first time within NATO.
We are committed to the principle that there should be no restrictions, embargoes or restrictions on defense trade and investment between Allied countries. Let us try to remove such obstacles.
Sweden and Turkey agreed to intensify economic cooperation through the Joint Turkey-Sweden Economic and Trade Council (JETCO). Both Turkey and Sweden seek to increase opportunities for increased bilateral trade and investment. Sweden will actively support efforts to renew Turkey’s EU accession process, including the modernization of the EU-Turkey Customs Union and visa liberalization.
Earlier, the Ankara-based leader had announced that he would support Sweden’s entry into NATO if the EU resumed negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU.
President Turkey reiterated on Monday Turkey’s green wave for Sweden’s accession alliance The North Atlantic depends on the achievement of the points included in the signed trilateral agreement Summit Madrid NATO last year between Turkey and Sweden And Finland.
Turkey, along with Hungary, opposed Sweden’s entry despite measures taken by the Scandinavian country, including a reform of the Scandinavian country’s constitution and adoption of a new anti-terrorism law, amid Erdogan’s criticism of Stockholm. leniency towards Kurdish refugees from its territory.
Publisher: AC
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