Turkish President Erdogan engages in intense diplomacy traffic at NATO summit in Vilnius

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has engaged in an intense diplomacy traffic at the NATO leaders' summit in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius.

On Monday, Erdogan met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Council President Charles Michel, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

On Tuesday, the Turkish leader met US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Türkiye has agreed to send Sweden's NATO accession protocol to parliament following a trilateral meeting between himself, Erdogan, and Kristersson.

The 31 leaders of the military alliance are meeting in Vilnius to discuss the Ukraine war, Sweden's NATO membership, and steps to strengthen the group's defense and deterrence, among other issues.

Türkiye has been a NATO member for over 70 years, and boasts its second-largest army.