US, Turkey to discuss Sweden’s bid to join NATO
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet on the sidelines of a Ukraine recovery conference that is due to be held on June 21-22 in London, Al-Monitor reported on Monday.
Al-Monitor reported, citing diplomatic sources, that the two parties will discuss Turkey’s objections to Sweden’s bid to join the NATO in the meeting.
Blinken pressed Fidan on Sweden in a congratulatory call on June 8, according to the source.
Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May 2022 prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February but were met with huge rejection from Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey had rejected the two Nordic countries’ bid for NATO membership under the pretext that they support the PKK, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
However, in March, Turkey hindered Sweden from joining NATO but ratified Finland’s bid.
On June 15, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Sweden has not won Turkey’s support to join NATO ahead of the military alliance’s summit in Vilnius next month.