Turkish President Erdogan has agreed to back Sweden's NATO bid: Jens Stoltenberg

Brussels [Belgium], July 11 : North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday announced that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to forward Sweden NATO bid to the Grand National Assembly and ensure ratification.

Stoltenberg tweeted, "Glad to announce that after the meeting I hosted with @RTErdogan & @SwedishPM, President Erdogan has agreed to forward #Sweden's accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly ASAP & ensure ratification. This is an historic step which makes all #NATO Allies stronger & safer."

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Brussels should clear the way for Turkey's accession to the European Union before his country gives approval to Sweden's bid for NATO membership, CNN reported.

Erdogan's statement comes ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Lithuania, which has Sweden's membership on its agenda.

Addressing a news conference, Erdogan said, "First, let's clear Turkey's way in the European Union, then let's clear the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland," according to CNN.

Erdogan stressed it was time to act on Turkey's bid to become part of the EU, adding, "Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the European Union for over 50 years now" and "almost all NATO member countries are European member countries."

Turkey has said Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups, including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to operate in Sweden, according to CNN.

NATO intends to admit Sweden to the alliance before this week's summit, which is set to be held in Lithuania. However, Turkey blocked Sweden's accession due to disagreements between two nations.

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said it is "still possible to have a positive decision on Swedish membership" at the military alliance's summit in Vilnius, according to CNN.

Stoltenberg said, "We don't have any certainty, we don't have any guarantees, but of course now we have the momentum of the summit with the leaders here and we will use that momentum to ensure as much progress as possible."

In response to question regarding Turkish President Erdogan's statement linking Sweden's NATO membership to Turkey's EU membership, Stoltenberg said he supports Turkey's ambitions to become a part of the EU, as per the CNN report. He further said Sweden has already met the conditions to join NATO.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday that Sweden's NATO accession is "imaginable in the near future. He made the remarks during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Berlin. He expressed hope that Sweden would soon become a part of NATO as it "would be a perfect fit for NATO."

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