Joe Biden hails Turkey's decision to back Sweden's NATO bid after previously blocking bid

US President Joe Biden has welcomed his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan's commitment to transmit the accession protocol for Sweden to Turkey's Grand National Assembly for swift ratification. On July 10, Biden thanked NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for his "steadfast leadership". 

It is to be noted that one of the major obstructions to Sweden's NATO bid was Turkey as they accused Sweden of allowing members of Kurdish terror groups to operate in the country. On July 10, Turkey's stance on Sweden's NATO bid changed as it agreed to back its bid to join the military alliance, confirmed NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, reported AP. 

Biden welcomes Turkey's decision 

As this moves is seen as a major development ahead of the NATO summit, Biden has expressed his readiness to work with Erdogan and Turkey on enhancing defence and deterrence. According to the statement released by the White House, Biden said, "I welcome the statement issued by Türkiye, Sweden and the NATO Secretary General this evening, including the commitment by President Erdogan to transmit the Accession Protocol for Sweden to Türkiye’s Grand National Assembly for swift ratification."

He added, "I stand ready to work with President Erdogan and Türkiye on enhancing defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO Ally." "And I thank Secretary General Stoltenberg for his steadfast leadership," read the statement 

Taking to Twitter, while agreeing to Sweden's NATO membership, Erdogan wrote, "Come first, pave the way for Turkey in the European Union; Let's pave the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland." Erdogan stressed it was time to act on Turkey's bid to become part of the EU, adding, "Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the European Union for over 50 years now" and "almost all NATO member countries are European member countries." 

Yarın başlayacak NATO Devlet ve Hükûmet Başkanları Zirvesi’ne katılmak üzere Vilnius’a geldik.

Bu kritik zamanda, NATO coğrafyasının savunması ve güvenliği hakkında görüş teatisinde bulunacak, önemli kararlara imza atacağız.…

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) July 10, 2023

The NATO Secretary General made the announcement after his meeting with Erdogan and Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. While addressing the press conference, Stoltenberg said, "I am glad to announce that, as a result, President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly as soon as possible. And work closely with the Assembly to ensure ratification."  Meanwhile, Stoltenberg noted the decision was a result of a year of negotiations, adding that Sweden and Turkey have worked closely together to address "legitimate security concerns" of Ankara.