Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson will meet today at the final negotiations on Sweden's membership in NATO, ahead of the alliance's annual summit in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius.
The meeting, organized by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, should, as he hopes, enable the lifting of Turkey's veto blocking Sweden's entry into the Atlantic alliance from May 2022.
Stoltenberg, who wants the 31 member states of the organization to offer a united front against Russia, recently assessed it as "absolutely possible" that Turkey makes a "positive decision" for Sweden.
Erdogan vowed on Friday to make "the best decision, whatever it is," hinting that all options were on the table.
Turkey's president is blocking Sweden's bid, accusing Stockholm of harboring Turkish oppositionists and Kurdish activists from movements Ankara considers "terrorist".
"How can a country that does not distance itself from terrorist organizations contribute to NATO," recently asked Turkey's president, who last month again condemned Sweden for allowing the burning of the Koran on its soil.
Along with Hungary, Turkey is the only one of the 31 NATO countries that has not yet ratified Sweden's membership. Hungary said it would give its consent if Turkey did so.
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