ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON听–听US President Joe听叠颈诲别苍听expressed a desire to see Sweden join听狈础罢翱听“as soon as possible” in a phone听肠补濒濒听with Turkish聽President Tayyip听贰谤诲辞驳补苍听in which they discussed听厂飞别诲别苍’蝉听产颈诲听to become a member of the Western alliance,听the White House said on Sunday.
Turkey, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to听厂飞别诲别苍’蝉听bid, which requires unanimous approval by all听狈础罢翱听members.
Mr. Erdogan told Mr. Biden聽that Stockholm has taken steps in the right direction for Ankara to ratify its听产颈诲, referring to an anti-terrorism law, but聽蝉补颈诲听these steps were not useful as Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)听蝉耻辫辫辞谤迟ers continued to hold demonstrations in Sweden, the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate said separately on Sunday.
Mr. Biden聽“conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into听狈础罢翱听as soon as possible,” the White House said in a statement.
The leaders agreed to meet face-to-face in Vilnius, Lithuania, at an upcoming听狈础罢翱听summit and discuss bilateral relations and regional issues in detail, the Turkish presidency also said.
On Thursday, Sweden聽聽Turkey to lift its block on Stockholm’s path to听狈础罢翱听membership in a foreign minister-level meeting, as Ankara requested more action in the fight against terrorism.
狈础罢翱听Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would convene a meeting between听贰谤诲辞驳补苍听and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday.
Sweden and Finland applied for听狈础罢翱听membership last year, abandoning policies of military non-alignment that had lasted through the decades of the Cold War in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While Finland’s聽狈础罢翱听membership was聽green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear听厂飞别诲别苍’蝉听bid. Stockholm has been working to join at next week’s听狈础罢翱听summit in Vilnius.
During their听肠补濒濒, Mr. Biden聽and Mr. Erdogan聽also discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ukraine’s aim to join听狈础罢翱, according to the Turkish presidency’s readout. – Reuters
