Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his wife, Ingrid Schulerud, at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey’s capital, on Friday, a meeting that was also attended by the Turkish President’s wife, Emine Erdogan.
«Stoltenberg praised Turkey and President Erdogan personally for negotiating safe passage for Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. He welcomed the continuation of the agreement, a lifeline on which hundreds of millions of people around the world depend,» the Atlantic Alliance said in a statement.
In addition, Soltenberg and Erdogan also discussed, in the framework of their meeting, the finalization of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO under the «historic decision» agreed at the last summit held in Madrid.
«Great to be received by President Erdogan in Istanbul. I thanked the president for his vital role in ensuring the continuation of the Ukraine grain deal. We also discussed the finalization of NATO membership of Finland and Sweden. NATO will strengthen our Alliance,» he explained on his Twitter profile, where he can be seen aboard a boat with Erdogan.
For his part, Erdogan has been able to convey to Stoltenberg his concerns regarding the latest developments in Turkey-Greece relations, assuring that Ankara has not been the one to increase tension in the region, while explaining that it would be «beneficial» for Athens to «act sensibly» and lead the dialogue», as reported by the Anatolia news agency.
