Turkey agrees to advance Sweden's NATO bid on eve of summit

Ukraine membership also high on agenda as alliance remains split on early entry

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson shake hands next to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg prior to their meeting, on the eve of a NATO summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 10. (TT News Agency via Reuters)

KEN MORIYASU and SINAN TAVSAN, Nikkei staff writers

July 11, 2023 02:44 JST

Updated on July 11, 2023 05:56 JST

VILNIUS, Lithuania/ISTANBUL -- Turkey has agreed to support Sweden's ascension to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, clearing a major obstacle to the Scandinavian country's bid to join the defense alliance.

Hours before NATO leaders were to meet in Vilnius for the alliance's annual summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the grand national assembly as soon as possible, and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Monday night.