Stoltenberg Says Sweden Fulfilled Its Obligations To Join NATO

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2023) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday that Sweden has fulfilled all its obligations to join the alliance.

"We also discussed Sweden's bid for NATO membership. Turkiye has legitimate security concerns. No other Ally has faced more terrorist attacks. Sweden has taken significant, concrete steps to meet Turkiye's concerns... So Sweden has fulfilled its obligations", Stoltenberg said at the Dolmabahce Palace.

He added that Stockholm and Ankara would hold new consultations on Sweden's NATO membership starting June 12.

"At the Madrid Summit last year, Turkiye, Finland and Sweden signed a trilateral memorandum paving the way for Finland and Sweden's NATO membership.

This included the establishment of a Permanent Joint Mechanism to strengthen cooperation between Turkiye, Finland, and Sweden ... President Erdogan and I agreed today that the Permanent Joint Mechanism should meet again in the week starting on the 12th of June," Stoltenberg said.

He also commented on demonstrations against NATO and Turkey in Sweden, saying that their organizers wanted to prevent Sweden from joining NATO, thus weakening the bloc, and that the alliance should not let them succeed.

Sweden, along with Finland, submitted its NATO application in May 2022, several months after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. Finland became a member of the alliance in April. Sweden's application is still pending approval from Hungary and Turkey.