NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects Sweden's long-planned entry into the defense alliance to be completed in 2024, he said in an interview dpa, writes UNN.
Details
The secretary general is confident the country will be included as the alliance's 32nd member at a NATO summit no later than July, he told dpa news agency in an interview at the end of the year.
According to him, Sweden has fulfilled its promises to Turkey. The United States and Turkey are currently negotiating a deal on F-16 fighter jets, which has become another demand of the government in Ankara.
At the same time, Stoltenberg emphasized the importance of Turkey for security in Europe. "This is demonstrated by its strategic geographical position on the Black Sea and the fact that they border Iraq and Syria," he said.
Turkey "plays a key role" in the fight against Islamic State, Stoltenberg added, noting that NATO is using Turkish infrastructure to defeat the terrorist organization.
Asked about the disagreement with Turkey, Stoltenberg said: "NATO allies have expressed concerns about the working conditions of journalists and other issues related to the rule of law."
But, he said, that's what NATO is for - to be a platform where allies can express concerns and raise issuesi.
The next regular NATO summit will be held in Washington, D.C., from July 9 to 11, and the alliance is also set to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
Supplement
Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022, a decision influenced by the Kremlin's war with Ukraine, and hoped to join later that summer.
However, Turkey accused Sweden of insufficient commitment to fighting "terrorist organizations" such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and refused to give its consent. New members of the alliance must be unanimously approved by current members.
After Sweden made concessions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced that he would authorize ratification by the Turkish parliament. At the same time, however, he wants the U.S. Congress to give the go-ahead for the delivery of U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
Diplomats say Erdogan's call came in response to the fact that allies such as the United States and Germany have restricted arms exports to Turkey in recent years, citing Turkey's arms purchases from russia and concerns about the rule of law.
In order for Sweden to participate as a full member, all current members of the alliance must ratify the so-called accession protocol. Apart from Turkey, this has not yet been done by Hungary. However, the government in Budapest has repeatedly emphasized that Hungary will not be the last country to take this step.