Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a speech to the German parliament, today called on Turkey to pave the way for Sweden to become a member of NATO and added that this Scandinavian country should have a seat at the table at the next summit of the Atlantic alliance. .

“I am firmly convinced that, in addition to Finland, Sweden should also sit at the summit table as a new ally. And I call on the re-elected Turkish President Erdogan to pave the way for this, as we all decided together last year,” Soltz said during his speech.

The chancellor also promised long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, but played down Kiev’s hopes for a quick NATO membership.

“We have to take a strict look at the current situation,” Solz told MPs, adding that the government in Kiev has itself admitted that the country will not be able to join NATO as long as the war continues.

“That’s why I propose that we focus on the top priority (at the NATO summit in mid-July) in Vilnius, which is to strengthen Ukraine’s combat power,” Soltz said.

Berlin and its partners in the Group of Seven (G7) and the European Union are working to offer Kiev long-term security assurances, the chancellor added.

“Our goal is … a sustainable military support of Ukraine, including with modern Western weapons, and strengthening Ukraine’s economic resilience as it defends itself against Russian aggression,” he added.

Olaf Scholz also said during his speech to the German parliament that he warned China during talks earlier this week not to use force to achieve territorial changes, particularly against Taiwan.

Scholz this week hosted a large Chinese delegation led by Premier Li Chiang. It was the first face-to-face summit since the pandemic, at a time of rising geopolitical tensions between the West and China.

“We firmly reject any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and South China Sea through force or coercion. This is especially true for Taiwan,” Scholz said.

“We are also concerned about the human rights situation and the state of the rule of law in China,” he added.

The German chancellor also underlined in his speech that Germany will reach “from next year” the goal of devoting 2% of its GDP annually to military spending, as requested by NATO.

“We will ensure that the federal military finally receives the equipment it needs (…) by again spending, for the first time in decades, 2% of our GDP on defense – starting next year,” he announced. In his previous statements, the chancellor had stated that this goal would be achieved in 2025.