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Added on the 24/10/2023 17:28:15 - Copyright : AFP EN
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcome Turkey's decision to push ahead with ratifying Finland's membership, and says Sweden should also be allowed to join as soon as possible. "The most important thing is that both Finland and Sweden become full members of NATO quickly, not whether they join at exactly the same time," Stoltenberg said. SOUNDBITE
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says "the time has come to ratify both Finland and Sweden and to make them full members of our alliance " during a press conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. SOUNDBITE
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson lands in Vilnius ahead of a landmark NATO summit at which he is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding Stockholm's accession to the US-led defence alliance. Earlier in the day, Erdogan said he would only back Sweden's NATO candidacy if the European Union resumes long-stalled membership talks with Ankara. IMAGES
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says he has convened a meeting between the leaders of Turkey and Sweden on the eve of a summit next week to push Stockholm's stalled membership bid. "On Monday, in Vilnius, I will convene a meeting with President Erdogan and Prime Minister Kristersson, as the next step in this process," Stoltenberg says after talks at NATO headquarters with foreign ministers from the two countries. SOUNDBITE
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg calls on Ankara to drop its opposition to Sweden's bid to join the defence alliance, saying Stockholm has addressed Turkey's security concerns and "fulfilled its obligations". Turkey has dragged its feet over admitting Sweden into the alliance, with President Erdogan accusing the country of being a haven for "terrorists", especially members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group blacklisted by Ankara and its Western allies. Stoltenberg explains that Sweden has progressed in "stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation, including against the PKK." SOUNDBITE
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says he would visit Ankara "in the near future" to push Sweden's membership bid, following the re-election of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Exactly when is not yet decided," the US-led defence alliance's Secretary General adds. SOUNDBITE
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