Ankara monitoring Sweden's compliance on deal for NATO bid, says Turkish president

By Busra Nur Cakmak and Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara is monitoring Sweden's commitment to a deal they signed on the Nordic country's bid to join NATO, Türkiye's president told the Swedish prime minister in a phone call Wednesday.

The trilateral agreement Türkiye signed in June with Sweden and Finland will guide the process of those two countries' potential NATO accession, with Ankara following statements coming out of Stockholm, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Ulf Kristersson, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

In a phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Ulf Kristersson that Ankara was monitoring statements coming out of Stockholm on Sweden's commitment to the agreement.

Erdogan said it was in both Türkiye and Sweden's common interest to prevent terror groups from taking the Nordic country's bid to enter NATO, as well as its bilateral ties with Türkiye, hostage.

They discussed Türkiye-Sweden relations during the call, with Erdogan congratulating Kristersson on his new role as premier.

In response to a letter from Kristersson on Oct. 19, Erdogan declared that he would welcome a visit to Türkiye by the new Swedish prime minister.

The Turkish leader said they were ready to advance bilateral ties with the Swedish government in every field.