Brussels, Jul. 6, (dpa/GNA) - NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg convened a meeting with the leaders from Turkey and Sweden on Monday in Vilnius to “resolve the remaining issues” still blocking Stockholm’s membership application.
The meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson “is to bridge the gap we still see between what Sweden has done and the understanding that Turkey has,” Stoltenberg said on Thursday.
“It is absolutely possible to have a positive decision” by Turkey to cede its opposition to Sweden’s membership in time for next week’s NATO summit in Vilnius, he said after a meeting of senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland in Brussels.
In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden together with neighbouring country Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022.
Finland joined the alliance in April 2023, while Sweden still lacks Turkey and Hungary’s approval.
Ankara has been blocking Sweden’s accession mainly on the grounds that Sweden is taking insufficient action against “terrorist organizations,” an apparent reference to mostly Kurdish political groups from Turkey that operate in exile in the country such as the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
Stockholm has recently tightened its terrorism laws and the country’s supreme court approved the first extradition to Turkey of an alleged PKK supporter, in a so far unsuccessful bid to appease Ankara.
Stoltenberg pledged to “work hard from now” to get Ankara’s support until Monday.
GNA