Erdogan will have a private discussion with Biden at the NATO summit
During the NATO summit in Vilnius, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will hold talks with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, regarding the bilateral relations between the two countries and regional issues, the Turkish presidency announced on Sunday, according to AFP.
"The leaders agreed to meet face-to-face in Vilnius and to discuss bilateral relations between Turkey and the United States and regional issues in detail," Ankara's statement said.
The Turkish presidency announced that Erdogan and Biden spoke on the phone on Sunday about Sweden's accession to the Alliance and the delivery of US F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
"Noting that it is not fair to associate Turkey's request for F-16s with Sweden's accession, President Erdogan thanked US President Biden for his support for Turkey's request for F-16s," the statement added.
For some observers, Turkey's green light for Sweden's entry into the Alliance is conditional on the delivery of F-16s to Ankara. We remind that Turkey is the last NATO country alongside Hungary to oppose Sweden's accession to the alliance, despite the measures taken by the Scandinavian country, including a reform of its constitution and the adoption of a new anti-terrorism law.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to meet with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday. The leader from Ankara accuses the Swedish authorities of their alleged leniency towards the Kurdish activists who took refuge in their territory and demands their extradition.
