NATO sees the entry of Sweden “within reach” and summons Erdogan and Kristersson before the Vilnius summit

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BRUSSELS, 6 Jul. () –

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has assured that Sweden’s entry into the Atlantic alliance is “within reach” and has summoned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday before the summit of allied leaders in Vilnius to reach a political agreement to finalize the accession process.

“We have reaffirmed that entry is within reach and that ratification does not mean the end of cooperation with Turkey. On Monday in Vilnius I will convene a meeting between Erdogan and Kristersson as the next step in this process,” said the political chief of the NATO at a press conference after the meeting with senior Swedish and Turkish officials to unblock Stockholm’s entry into the military organization, pending Turkish and Hungarian ratification.

The former Norwegian prime minister has assured that he hopes to “close the gap” between Stockholm and Ankara in the appointment prior to the NATO summit to be held on July 11 and 12 in the Lithuanian capital. “The only way to settle the differences is to sit down, consult and find a way out. It is absolutely possible to have a positive decision at the top,” he predicted.

In any case, he has stressed the “important steps” taken by Stockholm to strengthen its cooperation with Turkey on terrorism, including a constitutional reform that allows new anti-terrorism legislation, defending that Sweden’s accession must take place “as soon as possible”.