Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed Sunday Sweden’s bid for the membership of the alliance and Turkiye’s fears about this step.
The meeting between the two sides was held at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, in the presence of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin as well as NATO officials, the Turkish Anadolu News Agency reported.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Erdogan, Stoltenberg said some are trying to prevent Sweden from joining the NATO, with the aim of weakening the alliance.
He revealed that there would be a gathering between Ankara and Stockholm on June 12 to discuss the latter’s membership of the NATO.
The NATO chief described that Turkiye’s concerns about Sweden’s NATO membership as “legitimate”.
Ankara is still opposing Sweden’s bid to join the alliance, accusing it of supporting the armed groups, which “threaten Turkish national security”.
Stoltenberg stressed that Turkiye offers key contributions to the NATO, thanking it for sending reinforcements to Kosovo.
Source: Kuwait News Agency