British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hoped NATO could proceed with ratifying Sweden’s accession to the alliance as soon as possible.
During a phone conversation between Sunak and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Friday, the British Premier underlined the significant benefits of Sweden joining NATO and the progress they have made in addressing Turkiye’s legitimate security concerns.
On the other hand, Sunak welcomed Turkiye’s role in ensuring that the grain deal remains valid, pointing to the importance of strengthening relations between London and Ankara, especially in the military, security and economic fields.
Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO months after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and while Finland succeeded in joining officially at the beginning of last April, Sweden is still facing an explicit rejection by Turkiye due to disagreements regarding organizations and wanted persons whom Ankara “accuses” of terrorism.
The NATO summit will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and at the top of its agenda is the accession of Sweden.
Source: Kuwait News Agency