LULEA, Sweden (Reuters) – The time is now for NATO members to finalize Sweden’s accession to the alliance, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday during a visit to Sweden and other Nordic countries.
Blinken said at a press briefing in the northern Swedish city of Lulea that Sweden had taken remarkable steps to address security concerns expressed by NATO member Turkey and proven its commitment to the alliance “again and again.”
“We believe the time is now and there’s no reason for not moving forward,” Blinken said.
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Lulea, and by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)