NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg indicated today, after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, that officials from Turkey, Sweden, and Finland will meet around mid-month for further discussions regarding Sweden's request to join the alliance, which has been stalled due to objections from Turkey and Hungary.
Stoltenberg stated, "Sweden is taking important concrete steps to address Turkey’s concerns," referring to a constitutional amendment in Sweden, which has also intensified its cooperation with Ankara regarding counter-terrorism. He emphasized in an interview with Reuters the importance of utilizing the remaining time before the NATO summit scheduled to take place next month in Vilnius, Lithuania, to reach an agreement.
Regarding protests, Stoltenberg remarked, "Demonstrations in themselves are legitimate," adding, "We must clearly distinguish between protests and terrorist actions. Illegal actions involve supporting and financing terrorist organizations, but protesting and opposing NATO and its allies are legitimate actions because this is part of the democratic values that everyone must protect."
