July 10, 2023
2 mins read

Erdogan, Biden discuss Sweden’s NATO bid

The two leaders also discussed Ukraine’s position in NATO, the delivery of F-16 fighter jets and Turkey’s efforts to join the EU…reports Asian Lite News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed Sweden’s NATO bid with his US counterpart Joe Biden over the phone ahead of the alliance’s summit this week.

The two leaders also discussed Ukraine’s position in NATO, the delivery of F-16 fighter jets and Turkey’s efforts to join the EU, according to a statement by Erdogan’s office released on Sunday.

During the phone call, Erdogan noted “Sweden has taken some steps in the right direction” toward the ratification of its NATO bid by making changes in its anti-terrorism legislation, said the statement.

However, the Turkish leader said these steps were “nullified” as the supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “continue to hold demonstrations freely in the country to advocate terrorism”.

Erdogan also stressed that it was not correct to associate Turkey’s F-16 purchase from the US with Sweden’s NATO bid, referring to several objections from the US Congress to Ankara’s purchase demand for F-16s over its veto of Sweden’s NATO membership.

The two presidents agreed to meet face-to-face to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues in detail at the NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius on July 11-12, according to the statement.

Regarding Turkey’s EU bid, Erdogan told Biden that his country was “principled and honest” about EU membership, appealing to revive its membership process and hoping for getting a clear and strong message of support from leading countries of the EU at the upcoming Vilnius Summit.

Biden, for his part, conveyed to Erdogan his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible, according to a White House statement.

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year but met with objections from Turkey on the grounds that the two countries harbour members of PKK and the Gulen movement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Turkey eventually lifted its objection to Finland’s NATO accession earlier this year after Helsinki took what Ankara calls “concrete steps” against such organisations.

In April, Finland became NATO’s 31st member state.

ALSO READ: Erdogan urges Sweden to ‘keep promises’ for NATO bid

Previous Story

Germany welcomes Indian students

Next Story

End terror, war and poverty: Modi’s call to SCO

Latest from -Top News

Modi: We’ll Hunt Them Down

The Prime Minister thanked nations that extended support to India in the aftermath of the terror attack…reports Asian Lite News In his first address after the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu

Moscow Steps Up Afghan Diplomacy

Russia sees a potential economic partner in the Taliban authorities, who praised Moscow for scrapping the “terrorism” label last week…reports Asian Lite News Russia has announced that it will elevate the Afghan

World leaders condemn Kashmir terror attack 

Strong messages of condemnation of the terror attack came from leaders in different parts of the world including the US, Russia, UAE, Israel, Singapore, France, Sri Lanka and Iran  World leaders strongly

India downgrades ties with Pakistan 

The decision — which also included the downgrading of diplomatic ties with Pakistan — came after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the PM   India on

Sindh Lawyers Lead Protests Against Canal Plan 

The protests, which have been ongoing for weeks, have gathered significant attention from various sectors of Sindh’s civil society, including nationalist parties, farmers, writers, and members of the legal community.  Judicial activities
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Biden Team Fears Classified Probe Fallout

Biden’s campaign fears Trump could use the report and any

Biden pledges strong US-Brazil ties in call with Lula

During the call with Lula, President Biden commended the strength