The processes of Turkey becoming a member of the European Union and Sweden ascending to the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO) are not related and should be treated thus, European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Dana Spinant said at a press conference on Monday.
Spinant stressed that the bloc has a clear and strict process for accepting new members that every country has to complete before joining in. Turkey has been an EU member candidate since 1999.
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the international community to "clear the way for Turkey in the European Union, and let us clear the way for Sweden" in NATO. The alliance's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said he personally supports the idea of Turkey in the EU but that that process is not linked to Sweden's NATO candidacy.
