土耳其不再反对瑞典加入北约，这是在立陶宛维尔纽斯举行的第74届北约年度峰会前夕的一个重大进展。
这一宣布受到了美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)的欢迎，一天前，他与土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安(Recep Tayyip Erdogan)就美国向安卡拉提供F-16战机一事进行了交谈，尽管尚不清楚是否有任何直接联系。
北约秘书长延斯·斯托尔滕贝格周一宣布，他、埃尔多安和瑞典首相乌尔夫·克里斯特松之间达成了一项协议。
斯托尔滕贝格称之为“历史性的一步”，将加强北约盟国。
曾公开表示支持瑞典加入欧盟的拜登很快庆祝了这一突破。
拜登在一份声明中说:“我欢迎土耳其、瑞典和北约秘书长今晚发表的声明，包括埃尔多安总统承诺将瑞典的加入议定书转交土耳其大国民议会迅速批准。”
“我随时准备与埃尔多安总统和图尔基耶合作，加强欧洲-大西洋地区的防御和威慑，”他继续说。“我期待着欢迎克里斯特松首相和瑞典成为我们的第32个北约盟国。我感谢斯托尔滕贝格秘书长的坚定领导。”
根据一份媒体声明来自北约方面，埃尔多安同意迅速将瑞典的加入议定书送交议会，以换取在恐怖主义和经济合作方面的新承诺，包括在北约内部设立一名反恐特别协调员。
这个北欧国家的申请也遭到了匈牙利的反对。加入该组织需要所有成员国的一致同意。
斯托尔滕贝格周一表示，匈牙利已明确表示，它不会是最后一个批准瑞典申请的国家，并相信“问题会得到解决”
拜登上周在椭圆形办公室会见克里斯特松时，推动瑞典成为联盟的一部分。
“美国完全、完全、完全支持瑞典加入北约，”拜登告诉首相。“底线很简单:瑞典将使我们的联盟更加强大，并拥有与我们在北约相同的价值观。我真的很期待你的加入。”
白宫说，总统还在周日与埃尔多安的电话中表达了他希望瑞典的申请获得批准的愿望。
白宫国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文告诉记者，两位领导人在通话中还讨论了向土耳其交付美国F-16战斗机的问题，通话持续了45分钟至一个小时。
当被问及拜登愿意提供设备是否是土耳其允许瑞典加入北约的交换条件时，沙利文没有直接回答。
“拜登总统一直明确表示，他认为为了联盟和美国与图尔基耶的双边关系，推进这项销售是有意义的。这符合我们的利益，”沙利文说。“他还认为，瑞典成为北约成员非常符合我们的利益。这两件事我们都应该做。做这两件事将给北约和美国与图尔基耶的双边关系带来真正的动力和动力。”
2023年7月10日，在立陶宛维尔纽斯举行北约峰会之前，乔·拜登总统在抵达维尔纽斯机场时与立陶宛总统吉塔纳斯·纳瑟达会谈。
苏珊·沃尔什/美联社
拜登在伦敦停留后于周一抵达立陶宛，他在伦敦会见了英国首相苏纳克和国王查理三世。他和埃尔多安定于周二上午在维尔纽斯会面。
随着乌克兰对俄罗斯入侵者发起反攻，北约峰会预计将集中讨论继续援助乌克兰的问题。
Biden applauds Turkey's agreement to back Sweden's NATO entry on summit eve
Turkey is dropping its opposition to Sweden's bid to join NATO, a big development on the eve of the alliance's 74th annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The announcement was applauded by President Joe Biden and comes a day after he spoke with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about U.S. F-16s for Ankara, although any direct connection was unclear.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Monday an agreement was reached between him, Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Stoltenberg called it a "historic step" that will strengthen NATO allies.
Biden, who was vocal in supporting Sweden's membership, was quick to celebrate the breakthrough.
"I welcome the statement issued by Türkiye, Sweden and the NATO Secretary General this evening, including the commitment by President Erdogan to transmit the Accession Protocol for Sweden to Türkiye's Grand National Assembly for swift ratification," Biden said in a statement.
"I stand ready to work with President Erdogan and Türkiye on enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area," he continued. "I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO Ally. And I thank Secretary General Stoltenberg for his steadfast leadership."
According to apress statementfrom NATO, Erdogan agreed to quickly send Sweden's accession protocol to Parliament in exchange for new commitments on terrorism and economic cooperation, including the establishment of a special coordinator for counter-terrorism within NATO.
The Nordic nation's bid also faced opposition from Hungary. Unanimous approval from all member nations is needed in order to join the organization.
Stoltenberg said Monday Hungary has made it clear it will not to be the last to ratify Sweden's application, and believes "that the problem will be solved."
Biden pushed for Sweden to be part of the alliance in an Oval Office meeting with Kristersson last week.
"The United States fully, fully, fully supports Sweden's membership in NATO," Biden told the prime minister. "And the bottom line is simple: Sweden is going to make our alliance stronger and has the same value set that we have in NATO. And I'm really anxiously looking forward for your membership."
The president also conveyed his desire for Sweden's bid to be approved in a call with Erdogan on Sunday, the White House said.
The two leaders also discussed the delivery of American F-16 fighter jets to Turkey during the call, which lasted 45 minutes to an hour, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
Sullivan didn't provide a direct answer when asked if Biden's willingness to provide the equipment was a quid pro quo in exchange for Turkey allowing Sweden to join NATO.
"President Biden has been clear, consistently, that he believes that for the alliance and for the U.S.-Türkiye bilateral relationship moving forward with the sale makes sense. It's in our interest," Sullivan said. "He also believes that Sweden becoming a member of NATO is very much in our interests. And we should do both of these things. And doing both of these things would give real impetus and momentum to NATO and to the bilateral relationship between the US and Türkiye."
Biden arrived in Lithuania on Monday after a stop in London, where he met with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III. He and Erdogan are slated to meet on Tuesday morning in Vilnius.
The NATO summit is expected to center on continued aid for Ukraine as its launched its counteroffensive against Russian invaders.
