US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called Sweden a “valued friend and partner” and said he “looks forward to joining” NATO, in a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House. .
“I want to reiterate that the United States fully supports Sweden’s membership in NATO. The bottom line is simple: Sweden will strengthen our alliance,” Joe Biden said in the Oval Office, adding that Stockholm shares the “same set of values” as the other nations that make up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The head of state also said that Sweden, through its bilateral agreement with the United States, is “tackling the challenges that matter most to people,” citing the climate crisis as an example.
“And we are stepping up to protect our shared democratic values, including the provision of security and military assistance” to Ukraine, the Democratic leader said.
Kristersson, in turn, thanked Biden for the invitation and said that Sweden “very much appreciates” the US support for his country’s accession to the Alliance.
“We are very grateful for your strong support. We are looking for a common protection, but we also believe that we have things to contribute”, said the Swedish prime minister.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Kristersson also thanked Biden for the “transatlantic leadership and unity” he established and praised the Democrat’s efforts to combat the climate crisis and the “challenges China creates for democracies.”
Later, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre argued that Sweden should join NATO “as soon as possible” because it has strong military capabilities, shares the alliance’s values and “will contribute to European security.”
In the countdown to the Alliance summit, which takes place next week in Lithuania, Joe Biden received Ulf Kristersson at the White House today to discuss the Stockholm NATO accession process as well as support for Ukraine. .
Sweden has been “invited” to join the Atlantic Alliance since June 2022, but its candidacy, which must be ratified by the organization’s 31 member states, is blocked by Turkey and Hungary.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that Ankara is not yet ready to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO, and called for greater efforts by Stockholm, particularly in the fight against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia. for the completion of the process.
A meeting of senior officials from Turkey and Sweden, expected to include their respective foreign ministers, intelligence chiefs and security advisers, is convened for Thursday in Brussels to try to overcome Turkish objections to Stockholm membership. .
Source: TSF
