Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson to visit Ankara as the Nordic country hopes to convince Türkiye to ratify its bid to join NATO
Sweden and neighbouring Finland last year applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization following Russia's attack on Ukraine, but members Türkiye and Hungary have yet to endorse the applications.
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson plans to travel next week to Ankara at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, according to Jonson's spokesperson. The announcement on Thursday comes as the Nordic country continues to lobby Türkiye to ratify its bid to join NATO.Türkiye last week withdrew an invitation to Sweden's parliament speaker to visit Ankara following an incident in Stockholm targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding further diplomatic strain to the NATO bid.
PKK/YPG terror supporters had gathered in front of the historical City Hall in the capital Stockholm, hanging upside down an effigy likened to the image of the Turkish leader and shared video footage of the moment on social media. The Turkish government had demanded an investigation of the demonstrators, but Swedish prosecutors denied the request, setting up another diplomatic stumbling block for the two nations.
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