Turkey Agrees to Support NATO Membership for Sweden After Demands Met

NATO announced on Monday that Turkey has agreed to membership in NATO for Sweden, ending a year-long standoff after Sweden met Turkey’s demands. The other holdout, Hungary, is expected to follow Turkey’s lead on Swedish membership. The announcement was made on the eve of the NATO summit taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. In April, after meeting Turkey’s concerns, Finland was accepted into NATO by all members while Sweden’s application had been held up by Turkey and Hungary. Relations between Turkey and Sweden have been strained by protesters in Sweden burning Korans.

NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson at the NATO summit in Vilnius,  » READ MORE