Turkey has agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance after a year of opposition, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. He called the moment a “historic step.”
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to send the accession protocol to the Turkish parliament for approval as soon as possible, the NATO chief said, noting that Erdogan would “ensure ratification.”
“Sweden will become a full member of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said.
The news comes after Stoltenberg held talks between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson the evening before the NATO summit was slated to begin in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday.
President Joe Biden also spoke with Erdogan on Monday over the phone, and the two discussed Sweden’s membership bid. On the call, they decided to meet in person in Vilnius on Tuesday, according to Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser.
Most alliance members have supported Sweden’s efforts to join the defense organization in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, however, has maintained its opposition to Sweden’s bid, which has stymied hopes for more than a year.
Turkey has maintained its objections to Sweden’s bid because there is a prevailing view in Ankara that Sweden supports Kurdish groups that are considered to be terrorists by Turkish leadership. Though the Kurds, a Muslim minority group, make up about a fifth of Turkey’s population, they have had a volatile and, at times, violent relationship with the government.
Sweden is one of several countries in Europe that has welcomed the Kurdish diaspora and Stockholm has been host to several protests in support of the Kurdish Worker’s Party — that is officially considered a terrorist group by Sweden and Turkey.
Stoltenberg said that he worked with Kristersson and Erdogan “to address Turkey’s legitimate security concerns.”
“Sweden has amended its constitution, changed its laws significantly, expanded its counterterrorism cooperation against the PKK and resumed arms exports to Turkey,” the NATO secretary general said. “Sweden’s cooperation with Turkey in the fight against terrorism will continue beyond accession to NATO and Sweden agreed today to establish a new bilateral security compact.”
As part of the agreement, NATO will also increase its efforts in these areas, Stoltenberg said, and he will create the post of special coordinator for counter-terrorism.
Boasting the second-largest military in the alliance, of which it has been a member since 1952, Turkey has held out against pressure to allow Sweden’s ascension with the support of Hungary. It is believed, however, that Hungary will follow Turkey’s lead in this decision, allowing for Sweden to become a full member of the alliance.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
