JAKARTA - Turkey gave the green light for Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), after the leaders of the two countries met in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the summit held in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Stoltenberg in his press statement after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson said the agreement was a historic moment for the long-awaited and welcomed alliance.
"I am pleased to announce... that President Erdogan has agreed to forward the protocol of accession for Sweden to the major national assembly as soon as possible, and to cooperate with the assembly to ensure its ratification," Stoltenberg said.
It is known that Sweden and Finland abandoned their neutral policies and applied for NATO membership last year, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Their accession must be approved by all NATO members.
Finland had first received approval in April, although it had to "wait longer" for approval from Turkey and Hungary. Meanwhile, Sweden still has to be patient longer.
In a joint statement after the meeting, Sweden reiterated that it will not provide support to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and actively supports efforts to revive Turkey's accession to the European Union.
On Monday, President Erdogan said the EU must pave the way for Turkey's accession, before their parliament approves Sweden's NATO accession.
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With Turkey's green light, Sweden has practically no more obstacles to joining NATO, after a similar signal was also given by Hungary on Thursday.
"This is a good day for Sweden," PM Kristersson told reporters, saying the joint statement was a "very big step" towards final ratification of Sweden's membership in NATO.
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