VILNIUS, Lithuania — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Monday to send Sweden's NATO accession protocol to the Turkish Parliament "as soon as possible."
Stoltenberg made the announcement after talks with Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on the eve of a NATO summit in Lithuania.
Sweden's NATO accession has been held up by objections from Turkey since last year.
Earlier, Erdogan introduced a new condition for approving Sweden's membership in NATO, calling on European countries to "open the way" for Turkey to join the European Union.
Erdogan's surprise announcement before departing for a NATO summit in Lithuania's capital added new uncertainty to Sweden's bid to become the alliance's 32nd member, which Turkey initially blocked by saying Sweden was too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups Ankara considers security threats.
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Erdogan and Kristersson met later Monday after they arrived in Vilnius, where NATO leaders will meet over the next two days.
Turkey is a candidate to join the EU, but democratic backsliding during Erdogan's presidency, disputes with EU-member Cyprus and other issues have held up the country's progress toward admission in the 27-nation bloc.