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Turkey unblocks Sweden Nato bid, setting stage for summit
- About-face comes after months of arduous negotiations over Turkey’s demands and on the eve of a critical two-day Nato summit
- On Monday, Turkey’s President Erdogan demanded the European Union revive Turkey’s stalled EU membership bid
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Turkey agreed on Monday to allow Sweden to join the Nato alliance, setting the stage for the allies to showcase their unity at a summit focused on securing support for Ukraine’s battle against Russia’s invasion.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s block on Sweden’s membership bid had cast a cloud over preparations for Tuesday’s Nato meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, but Sweden and Turkey ironed out their differences in eleventh-hour talks.
After meeting Erdogan and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg declared it had been a “historic day” after the Turkish leader agreed to back Stockholm’s application.
“Completing Sweden’s accession to Nato is a historic step that benefits the security of all Nato allies at this critical time. It makes us all stronger and safer,” Stoltenberg said.
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