Stoltenberg is optimistic about the prospect of Sweden joining NATO

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), expressed today, Monday, his optimism about the possibility of reaching a positive decision on Sweden’s accession to the alliance during a summit this week in Lithuania.
“It is still possible to reach a positive decision in Vilnius on Sweden’s accession,” Stoltenberg told a news conference, adding that as far as he was aware Sweden had already met Turkey’s “set list of conditions” for approval to join the 31-member alliance.
In response to a question about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linking Sweden’s accession to the alliance to Turkey’s accession to the European Union, Stoltenberg said he supported Turkey’s accession to the European Union.
The NATO chief said NATO needed to “address the legitimate security concerns of allies, who want to see Sweden as a member as soon as possible”.
Stoltenberg’s remarks come before an upcoming meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson.