US President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan held talks on Swedens NATO bid to become a member of the Western alliance over a phone call. Biden expressed his desire to see Sweden join NATO as soon as possible, said the White House.Notably, Turkiye, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to Swedens bid, which requires unanimous approval by all NATO members.Biden and Erdogan hold a phone callDuring the phone call, President Erdogan told Biden that Stockholm has taken steps in the right direction for Ankara to ratify its bid, referring to an anti-terrorism law, however, said these steps were not useful as Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) supporters continued to hold demonstrations in Sweden, said the Turkish presidencys communications directorate.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds a phone call with US President Joe Biden. During the call both leaders discussed NATOs position on Ukraine, Swedens NATO membership bid, the delivery of F-16s and Turkiyes EU membership process. pic.twitter.com/8qbhkKeVtE— Yusuf Erim (@YusufErim34) July 9, 2023In a statement, the White House said, the US president has conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible.Further, the Turkish presidency said that the leaders agreed to meet in person in Vilnius Lithuania, at an upcoming NATO summit. Also, the leaders will discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.On Thursday, it is said that Sweden couldnt convince Turkey to lift its block on Stockholms path to NATO membership in a foreign minister-level meeting, as Ankara requested more action in the fight against terrorism.NATO to fix Turkiye-Sweden meetingTaking notes from the meet, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would convene a meeting between Turkish President Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius.Last year, Sweden and Finland, both the nations applied for NATO membership, abandoning policies of military non-alignment that had lasted through the decades of the Cold War in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.In April, Finlands NATO membership was green-lighted by the officials, however, Turkiye and Hungary have to clear Swedens bid. Stockholm has been working to join at next weeks NATO summit in Vilnius.Further, Joe Biden and Tayyip Erdogan discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye, and Ukraines aim to join NATO on their phone call, said the Turkish presidency.
