NATO Chief Says Turkey Has Agreed to Let Sweden Join Alliance

Turkey’s president gave his approval for Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the alliance’s secretary general said, paving the way for NATO to complete a notable expansion launched in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed to forward Sweden’s accession to the Turkish parliament “as soon as possible.” Erdogan had blocked Sweden’s NATO bid  for more than a year but told NATO officials he would drop his objections after hours of meetings ahead of the alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“President Erdogan has made it clear that they are also ready to ratify Sweden,” said Stoltenberg, speaking at a late-night news conference following a meeting with the Turkish leader, who wasn’t present on stage. “Completing Sweden’s accession to NATO is a historic step that benefits the security of all NATO allies at this critical time. It makes us all stronger and safer.”