Erdogan is clear: Sweden should not expect approval for the NATO summit in Vilnius.
At the same time, Jens Stoltenberg claims that it is still possible.
– Some progress has been made, says the Secretary General at a press conference.
On Wednesday afternoon, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met the media. At the press conference, he said that some progress has been made in Turkey regarding the Swedish NATO application.
According to Stoltenberg, it is also possible that an agreement could be in place before the summit in Vilnius, which will be held on July 11-12. Stoltenberg talked, among other things, about the meeting that Finland, Sweden and Turkey are currently holding together with NATO.
– My chief of staff is at the meeting. I spoke to him and he was able to report that the meeting took place in a constructive spirit. Some progress has been made and we will continue to work for the ratification of the Swedish application as soon as possible, he says.
Erdogan: Sweden must do its part
Sweden’s NATO negotiator also held a press conference on Wednesday, after attending negotiation meetings in Ankara.
– It has been a meeting that has moved the process forward, but we are far from the finish line, says Stenström, reports SVT.
Jens Stoltenberg’s statement comes just hours after Turkish President Erdogan’s – who, for his part, claims that Sweden should not count on approval during the meeting in Vilnius.
The Swedish police must first increase the pressure on the PKK in order for Turkey to admit Sweden into NATO, says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan according to the state news agency Anatolia.
– First of all, Sweden must do its part against terrorist organizations, says the president.