“The leaders discussed efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, welcoming the latest round of discussions in the strategic mechanism and exchanging views on defense and economic priorities,” the White House press office said in a statement.
Biden also congratulated the Turkish President on the agreement reached with the Swedish Prime Minister, which will allow Sweden to become a member of NATO soon.
“They also discussed regional issues of common interest, including their continued support for Ukraine and the importance of maintaining stability in the Aegean,” the White House said.
Türkiye approves Sweden’s accession to NATO
Sweden applied to join NATO shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has been ratified by all NATO member countries except Turkey and Hungary. Ankara blocked the country’s entry due to the fact that Sweden is allegedly harboring Kurdish groups that are considered terrorist in Turkey.
After lengthy multilateral negotiations, Biden said he was optimistic about Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said that the Turkish authorities on the eve of the summit in Vilnius assured that they would consider the ratification of Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance as soon as possible.
2023-07-11 22:25:42
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