Turkey and Sweden Reach Agreement on NATO Membership, Signaling Improved Relations with EU

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Monday that Turkey has agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to submit the ratification documents to the Turkish parliament “as soon as possible.”

Stoltenberg said that Erdogan met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and came to an agreement about Sweden’s membership in NATO, hours after Erdogan said the European Union should first consider his country’s admission to the EU. Hungary, too, had opposed Sweden’s bid to join NATO, but Stoltenberg said that Hungary would not be “the last to ratify.”

The NATO chief said that once the documents are submitted to the Turkish parliament, the process of ratification would begin. He added that once the process is complete, Sweden will become a full member of the alliance.

The agreement between Turkey and Sweden is seen as a major step forward in the process of Sweden’s accession to NATO. It is also seen as a sign of improved relations between Turkey and the European Union, which has been strained in recent years.

The news of Turkey’s support for Sweden’s bid to join NATO comes as a welcome relief to the alliance, which has been looking to expand its membership. With the agreement in place, Sweden is now one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO.