Istanbul: Omer Celik, a spokesman for the AK Party, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on Friday that Turkey has allowed Sweden to begin the process of joining NATO but has not yet given its approval.

In a live broadcast on Haberturk TV, Celik claimed that a tripartite agreement between Turkey, Sweden, and NATO regarding the requirements for membership contained commitments from Stockholm to take specific actions.

Deputies from the AKP will vote to ratify Sweden's membership in the US-led military alliance if the Turkish parliament is informed that Sweden has produced "a strong satisfactory result" by adhering to its obligations, according to Celik, speaking to Haberturk.

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Celik responded, "at the next session" of the parliament when asked when this might occur, indicating not earlier than October or November.

Following a lengthy delay, Turkey has decided to support Sweden's application, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Erdogan reportedly made an effort to link his support for Sweden's application to Turkey's admission to the EU. In exchange, the US has expressed a desire to remove a roadblock to the sale of F-16 fighters to Ankara. 

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Speaking about Turkey's ties with the US, Celik said that although a meeting between President Erdogan and US Vice President Joe Biden promised "a new page," the final result was still uncertain. If the US changed its mind about backing militants in Syria led by the Kurds, relations could improve much more quickly, Celik noted.

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Prior to the organization's summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania, NATO had hoped to admit Sweden and Finland jointly. After Turkey blocked Sweden's application due to worries that Stockholm was shielding Kurdish groups that Ankara had designated as terrorist organisations, Finland eventually joined on its own. Technically, the US-dominated bloc needs the approval of all 31 members before admitting new members.