Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to forward to parliament Sweden’s bid to join NATO, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, on the eve of a NATO summit in Vilnius.
“I’m glad to announce that President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the grand national assembly as soon as possible, and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification,” Stoltenberg told a news conference.
Stoltenberg declined to give a date for when Sweden’s accession would be ratified by the Turkish parliament.
U.S. President Joe Biden will move forward with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in consultation with Congress, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of a summit of NATO leaders due to start later in the day in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Sullivan said President Joe Biden “had been clear that he supports the transfer”.
“He has placed no caveats on this … He intends to move forward with that transfer,” he said.
Sullivan did not give any details on the timing.
Late on Monday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed to forward to parliament Sweden’s bid to become a member of the NATO military alliance, following months of pressure by the United States and its allies.
Some NATO partners believe that Turkey, which requested in October 2021 to buy $20 billion of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes, has been using Swedish membership to pressure Washington on the warplanes.
Sullivan also said NATO allies will make a “united, positive signal” on Ukraine’s path towards membership in the alliance during the summit, a main topic of discussion in Vilnius.
Gerçek News