Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his support for Sweden’s bid to join NATO, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg announced during a briefing that Erdogan had agreed to forward Sweden’s membership request to the Turkish parliament for ratification. Initially, Erdogan had indicated that Turkey would back Sweden’s bid only if the European Union reopened membership talks with Ankara. Turkey has also accused Sweden of hosting Kurdish militants. As a member of NATO, Turkey holds veto power over new countries seeking to join the alliance.

Stoltenberg made the announcement in Vilnius after facilitating discussions between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson prior to the NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital. Stoltenberg described Erdogan’s decision as a “historic step,” but cautioned that a specific timeline for Sweden’s accession could not be provided.

“President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly [Turkey’s parliament] as soon as possible and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification,” Stoltenberg said.

The NATO Secretary-General highlighted the progress made in addressing Turkey’s security concerns and enhancing cooperation between Sweden and Turkey. “As part of that process, Sweden has amended its constitution, changed its laws, significantly expanded its counter -errorism operation against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), and resumed its arms exports to Turkey, ” The NATO Secretary stated.

Currently, only Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify Sweden’s application for membership in NATO. When questioned about Hungary’s stance, Stoltenberg said “Hungary has made it clear that they will not be the last to ratify”.

“I think that problem will be solved,” he added.

Overall, Erdogan’s endorsement of Sweden’s NATO bid marks a significant development, but the precise timeline for Sweden’s accession remains uncertain. The support of Turkey and eventual ratification by all NATO members, including Hungary, will determine Sweden’s membership in the military alliance.