5TH JUNE ,2023.
NATO chief urges Turkey not to veto Sweden’s bid (PG 15)(GS 2)
5TH JUNE ,2023.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday called upon Ankara to drop its opposition to Sweden’s bid to join the U.S.-led defence alliance, hoping Stockholm’s accession would be fi•nalised “as soon as possible”. • Pressure is building on Mr. Erdogan to greenlight Sweden’s NATO membeship ahead of a summit planned for July in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. “Membership will make Sweden safer but also make NATO and Turkey stronger,” Mr. Stoltenberg told journalists after meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and newly appointed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who was head of the intelligence agency, in Istanbul. • “I look forward to fi•nalising Sweden’s accession as soon as possible,” he said