Turkey has agreed to support Sweden’s application to join the military alliance, according to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg‘s statement on Monday.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier on Monday suggested that Sweden could only join the alliance when his nation is admitted to the European Union. For more than a year, Erdoan has obstructed Sweden’s entry into NATO due to a variety of issues.

After hosting discussions between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ahead of a Nato summit in the Lithuanian capital, Stoltenberg gave a speech in Vilnius late on Monday.

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“President Erdogan has agreed to forward the Sweden accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly [Turkey’s parliament] as soon as possible and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification,” Stoltenberg said.

He called it a “historic step” but emphasized that it was impossible to give a “clear date” for when Sweden would be able to join the military alliance because that would depend on the Turkish parliament.

Progress has been made toward Sweden’s NATO membership after months of opposition and demands from Ankara. The militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to Turkey, is one of the recognized Kurdish terror organizations whose members are permitted to operate in Sweden. Additionally, Sweden was accused by Turkey of participating in anti-Islamic protests like the burning of the Quran.

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During his Monday news conference, Stoltenberg mentioned that Sweden and Turkey had “worked closely together to address Turkey’s legitimate security concerns.”

NATO stated that Stoltenberg, Erdogan, and Kristersson’s meeting resulted in new commitments between the countries.

According to the statement, the two nations decided to keep working together on counterterrorism initiatives, and NATO will create a new position for a Special Coordinator for Counterterrorism. The two countries “also agreed to step up economic cooperation.”