NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg had a private meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. The meeting was closed to the press, but both NATO and Turkey sent statements afterwards.
– It’s great to be welcomed by President Erdogan in Istanbul, tweeted Stoltenberg along with a photo of the two on Friday nights.
– I thanked the president for his decisive role in ensuring that the wheat deal for Ukraine persists. We also discussed the completion of the accession of Finland and Sweden, which will strengthen our alliance, says the NATO head.
Turkey, Sweden and Finland entered into an agreement of intent in June stating that Turkey will consent to the two countries becoming NATO members as long as a number of requirements are met.
– President Erdogan stressed that the measures taken by Sweden and Finland will determine how quickly the approval process will take place and when it will be completedErdogan’s office says after the meeting.
Stoltenberg praised “great and concrete steps that have already been taken by the two countries” to put the letter of intent into practice, NATO says.
Turkey accused the two Nordic countries of providing a safe haven for Kurdish rebels. Among other things, Ankara has asked Sweden to hand over a number of people the country believes are related to the Kurdish PKK and the Gülen movement.
New Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will meet Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday.
