ERBIL, Kurdistan - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday confirmed that a meeting will take place between Turkey and Sweden next week as talks for Stockholm’s bid to join the defense alliance continues.
Speaking at a press briefing in Istanbul following a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Stoltenberg said he believes there is “still time” for Sweden to be a NATO member at the July summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
Sweden and Finland reversed their policies of neutrality in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, launching a process to join NATO out of security concerns. Unanimous approval is request by alliance members and Turkey has used this leverage to pressure them in dealing with Kurds in the countries with alleged ties to armed groups, which Ankara considers to be terrorist organizations.
Finland was ratified as a member in April but Ankara continues to block Sweden from joining.
Stoltenberg said that Sweden had addressed Turkey’s security concerns and “implemented the agreement” it had reached with Ankara in previous rounds on talks. Turkey’s main concerns revolve around Sweden’s restrictions on weapons delivery and counterterrorism.
The defense alliance’s head said that Stockholm had amended its constitutions, bolstered counterterrorism efforts, and lifted an embargo on the delivery of weapons. He added that the two countries have also been working closer together to share information and intelligence.
"Sweden has taken significant concrete steps to meet Turkey's concerns," he told reporters.
Erdogan has repeatedly accused Sweden of harboring and supporting groups including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered terrorists by Ankara.
The PKK is a Kurdish group fighting for the increased political and cultural rights of Kurds in Turkey and has waged an armed insurgency against Ankara for decades. The Turkey-PKK conflict has killed tens of thousands and spans across the Kurdistan Region and Syria as well.
As part of its demands, Turkey is seeking the extradition of PKK members in Sweden, with Erdogan saying that there were as many as 130 there.
