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Sunday | February 08, 2026 | Dhaka

‘The time is now’ for Sweden to join NATO: Blinken

Gui Haichao (L) payload expert, Zhu Yangzhu (C) space flight engineer and commander Jing Haipeng (R) wave during the seeing-off ceremony before boarding a Long March-2F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-16 Manned Space Flight Mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China on Tuesday. Agency photo

AFP  :
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called on Turkey’s re-elected leader to drop his objections to Sweden’s membership in NATO, urging movement on ratification before an alliance summit in July.

Two days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a new term, meaning he will enter his third decade in power, Blinken said on a trip to Sweden that Stockholm had addressed Turkey’s concerns over joining the group.

“The time is now to finalise Sweden’s accession,” Blinken told a news conference with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in the northern Swedish city of Lulea.
“We urge both Turkey and Hungary — which also has not yet ratified — to ratify the accession as quickly as possible,” Blinken said.
“There is no reason for any further time. Sweden is ready now.”