NATO Chief to Visit Turkey for Erdogan Inauguration and Talks

The trip comes as pressure mounts on Erdogan to drop his opposition to Sweden's bid to join the military alliance.

Stoltenberg said on Thursday that he would soon visit Ankara to work towards Sweden's membership, after speaking with Erdogan by phone earlier this week.

The NATO statement said Stoltenberg would attend Erdogan's inauguration on Saturday and have bilateral meetings with the Turkish president and senior officials on Sunday.

NATO member Turkey has been dragging its feet over admitting Sweden to the alliance, and its opposition has been fueled by Erdogan's accusations that Sweden is a haven for PKK militants.

However, Finland recently joined the alliance, and many of the foreign ministers who attended the Oslo meeting called for Sweden to be admitted before the Vilnius summit in July.