US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday called on Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden’s candidacy for NATO before the Alliance’s next summit, scheduled for early July.
“We look forward to welcoming Sweden as our 32nd member [da NATO] shortly. And to be clear, we hope that happens before the July summit,” Lloyd Austin said during a visit to the Swedish naval base in Musko, near Stockholm.
“That is why we encourage Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden’s accession as soon as possible,” the US defense secretary challenged.
Austin recalled that the US military has strengthened its naval and air missions in Sweden “to underline this deep support” after the Russian ambassador in Stockholm threatened reprisals in early April.
From the outset, Washington supported Finland and Sweden joining NATO, which have been seeking the vital green light from Turkey and Hungary for months now.
According to several analysts, much will depend on the outcome of the elections in Turkey, which will take place on May 14, where the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is seeking re-election.
Turkey accuses Sweden of being a haven for Kurdish or Ankara-hostile terrorists, demanding dozens of extraditions and imposing conditions to give the ‘green light’ to NATO membership.
Source: DN
