President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan started his contacts in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where he came to attend the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, with a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. At the trilateral summit, the leaders will discuss Sweden’s NATO membership.
SECOND MEETING WILL BE HELD WITH THE HEAD OF THE EU COUNCIL
President Erdogan’s second meeting within the scope of the Summit will be with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. Erdogan and Michel’s meeting is expected to start at 19.30 Türkiye time. Both meetings of President Erdogan will be closed to the media.
“OPEN THE EU MEMBERSHIP OF TURKEY”
President Erdogan tweeted as soon as he set foot in Vilnius. Stating that Turkey should pave the way in the EU, Erdoğan said, “I am calling out to the countries that have kept Turkey waiting at the door of the EU for over 50 years: First, clear Turkey’s way in the European Union; just as we paved the way for Finland, we are also addressing Sweden.” Let’s pave the way for Turkey, too. I hope our visit to Lithuania will be beneficial for our country, alliance and region.” used his statements.
“WE ACTED WITH ALLIANCE SOLIDARITY”
Erdogan’s statement in full is as follows: “We came to Vilnius to attend the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit that will start tomorrow. At this critical time, we will exchange views on the defense and security of NATO geography and make important decisions. In Madrid, we will discuss the defense plans of the alliance. We decided to update them and envisaged their approval at the Vilnius Summit.In this process, we acted with the solidarity of the alliance, as always, despite the efforts to push things forward.
“WE WANT THE PROMISES GIVEN TO US TO BE KEPT”
In Vilnius, we will evaluate the work carried out to enter a new phase in NATO’s efforts in the fight against terrorism. I will repeat our call to the allies that impose sanctions and restrictions on Turkey to quickly turn from this wrong. The progress of Sweden’s membership process to NATO depends on the fulfillment of the matters recorded in the Tripartite Agreement. We want all the promises made and signed to us to be kept.
“I CALL ON COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING US AT THE DOOR OF THE EU FOR 50 YEARS”
We will reaffirm the importance we attach to the alliance in Vilnius with our allies at a time when threats are increasing. On this occasion, we underline a fact; Almost all NATO member countries are members of the European Union. I am calling out to the countries that have kept Turkey waiting at the door of the EU for more than 50 years: Come first, clear the way for Turkey in the European Union; Let’s pave the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland. I hope that our visit to Lithuania will be beneficial for our country, alliance and region.”