Biden, Erdogan Discuss Sweden's Accession To NATO, Support For Ukraine - White House

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2023) US President Joe Biden congratulated his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on reaching an agreement with Sweden to allow the latter to join NATO, and also discussed during the alliance's summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, support for Ukraine, the White House said on Tuesday.

"President Biden congratulated President Erdogan on the agreement he reached with Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg to send Sweden's NATO accession protocol to parliament for ratification," the White House said in a press release. "They also discussed regional issues of shared interest, including their enduring support for Ukraine and the importance of preserving stability in the Aegean.

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The leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on defense and economic priorities, the release said.

The meeting between Biden and Erdogan took place on the sidelines of the annual NATO summit, which is taking place on July 11-12.

On Monday, NATO announced that Kristersson and Erdogan had agreed that Erdogan would transmit the accession protocol for Sweden to the Turkish parliament and work closely with lawmakers to ensure it is ratified.

Sweden had agreed to actively support efforts to reinvigorate Turkey's accession to the European Union, including modernizing the EU-Turkey Customs Union and liberalizing the visa regime.