NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg held a private meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday. The meeting was closed to the press, but NATO and Turkey sent statements afterwards.

– It is great to be welcomed by President Erdogan in Istanbul, chirp Stoltenberg with a photo of the two of them on Friday evening.

– She thanked the President for his crucial role in ensuring the continuation of the Ukraine grain agreement. We also discussed completing Finland and Sweden membership, which will make our alliance even stronger, says the NATO chief.

Turkey, Sweden and Finland entered into an agreement of intent in June stating that Turkey would agree to the two countries’ admission to NATO as long as a number of requirements were met.

President Erdoğan indicated that the steps taken by Sweden and Finland will determine how quickly and when the approval process will take place.Erdogan’s office says after the meeting.

Stoltenberg praised the “large, tangible steps that countries have already taken” to put the letter of intent into practice, says NATO.

Turkey accused the two Scandinavian countries of providing a safe haven for Kurdish rebels. Among other things, Ankara has demanded that Sweden extradite a number of people the country believes are linked to the PKK and the Gülen movement.

Sweden’s new Prime Minister Ulf Christerson will meet Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday.