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Turkey has agreed to support Sweden's bid to join the NATO military alliance after a year of opposition, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. He called the moment a "historic step."

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed to send the accession protocol to the Turkish parliament for approval as soon as possible, Stoltenberg said, noting that Erdoğan would "ensure ratification", NBC News reported.

“Sweden will become a full member of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg held talks between Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson the evening before the NATO summit was scheduled to begin in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday.

Erdoğan and President Joe Biden discussed Sweden’s membership bid over the phone Monday. They decided to meet in person in Vilnius on Tuesday, said Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser.

Most NATO members have supported Sweden's efforts to join in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, however, had maintained its opposition, which had stymied hopes for more than a year.

Sweden originally applied with Finland in May 2022 after years of appearing neutral in the growing tension between Russia and the West. Finland finally joined the alliance in April, adding an 830-mile land border between NATO territory and Russia.

Turkey had maintained its objections to Sweden’s bid because there is a prevailing view in Ankara that Sweden supports Kurdish groups that Turkish leadership considers to be terrorists. The Kurds, a Muslim minority group, make up about a fifth of Turkey’s population, and they have had a volatile and, at times, violent relationship with the government.