Blinken confident Sweden will join NATO ahead of Vilnius summit
Securing Sweden’s full NATO membership is one of the main issues ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, US Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken said.
– We need to make sure all members are in place before the summit. I’m sure it will happen, Blinken said in a brief press briefing with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg before the start of the informal NATO meeting at Oslo City Hall. .
According to Blinken, three main issues are on the agenda ahead of the Vilnius summit: continued support for Ukraine, strengthening the defense alliance, as well as Sweden.
Stoltenberg said earlier on Thursday that he would visit Ankara in the near future and held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about Sweden’s NATO bid following Erdogan’s victory in the presidential election last weekend.
Turkey has so far refused to ratify the request.
– My message is that Sweden’s NATO membership is good for Sweden, for the Nordic and Baltic countries – but also for NATO as a whole. It makes NATO stronger, and it’s also important for Turkey, says Stoltenberg.
Blinken also praised Norway for hosting the informal NATO meeting, which he describes as a very important step on the way to the Vilnius summit.
– It’s wonderful to be here, he said.
(© NTB)
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