NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called for swift action to admit Sweden into NATO, following the horrific terror attack in Brussels.
Two Swedish football fans were shot in Brussels on the night of October 16, after the gunman chased them into the hallway of an apartment building in the centre of town.
Following the incident, Belgian prosecutors have identified the gunman as Abdesalem Lassoued, and revealed he had escaped from prison in Tunisia, after being sentenced to 26 years in prison in 2005.
Lassoued escaped in 2011 for his sentence, including crimes such as attempted murder, and arrived illegally on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
A gunman shot dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels on October 16
Reuters
Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, Stoltenberg paid tribute to the victims of the attack.
Stoltenberg expressed his condolences and stated "NATO stands in solidarity with you. Terrorism must never prevail".
Stoltenberg then discussed Sweden's accession to NATO and his crunch talks with Kristersson. He said: "Sweden has fulfilled its commitments. Sweden has amended its constitution, changed its laws, expanded counter-terrorism cooperation, and resumed arms exports to Turkey.
"NATO has recommitted to the fight against terrorism, including by updating our Action Plan. And I have appointed an Assistant Secretary General to serve as my Special Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, ensuring our response remains strong, effective and coherent."
Stoltenberg said of Turkey: "No other ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey, and I'm glad we have been able to address Turkey's legitimate security concerns in a way that enables Sweden's membership to move forward.
"I look forward to welcoming Sweden as a full NATO ally in the very near future."
He continued: "Sweden has highly capable forces and years of experience operating with NATO.
"You are already integrating even more deeply into the alliance."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Sweden will "make NATO stronger"
Reuters
Stoltenberg affirmed his support for Sweden and their future impact on the NATO community, claiming: "Sweden's membership will make NATO stronger. Sweden is fully ready to join NATO.
"The time has come and following the submission of the ratification documents, I now count on a speedy ratification by the Turkish Parliament.
"Tomorrow I will attend the NATO Industry Forum. Let me thank you for hosting the event here in Stockholm.
"This is yet another sign of how close Sweden is to NATO."