US calls for Sweden's accession to NATO, insists 'time is now'

The United States has asserted that there couldn't be a better time for Sweden to join NATO than "now". On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the northern European country has been eligible to join the military alliance since "day one" and has taken ample steps to eliminate any "legitimate security concerns" that Turkey has about its accession. 

Sharing the stage with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the top diplomat urged Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO membership. To join the alliance, approval from all member countries is a prerequisite. In Sweden's case, Hungary and Turkey are yet to give the green light. 

Among the two, Turkey is a primary obstacle. It has accused Sweden of providing refuge to members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it deems a "terrorist" organisation. To move past this, Turkey, Finland, and Sweden signed a trilateral memorandum last June to address the former's security concerns.

However, Ankara has accused Stockholm of not fully adhering to the terms of the agreement. To make matters worse, an Islamophobic Quran-burning demonstration in the Swedish capital earlier this year caused a deeper rift between the two countries.

Blinken, Kristersson hold a joint press conference in Lulea

On Tuesday, Blinken told reporters in Sweden's Lulea that "from the perspective of the United States, the time is now to finalise Sweden's accession." "We and our allies are both committed to and well-positioned to help Sweden address its security needs, irrespective of whether accession happens tomorrow or in two weeks or in a few weeks after that," he added. 

Swedish Premier Kristersson clarified that his country is acting in complete accordance with the pledges it has made to its "Turkish friends" through the memorandum. "We have always recognised the fact that every NATO ally has to make its own decision, and only Turkey can make Turkey's decisions, and we fully respect that," he said at the joint news conference, according to a press release by the US State Department.