MOSCOW, July 11. /TASS/. Moscow understands very well Ankara’s commitment to its NATO obligations but simultaneously interacts with Turkey on important tracks, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Commenting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to consent to Sweden’s accession to NATO, the Kremlin official said: "Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Alliance. Turkey has its obligations. Turkey adheres to its obligations. This has never been a secret to us and we had no illusions about this," he said. "This is how we treat [Ankara’s decision]. In this regard, we understand everything very well," Peskov noted.

However, he pointed out that the decision on Sweden and NATO is "only part of the story." "Another part is our ties. Yes, we have differences, and we are not hiding them either, but there is also that part of our relations that absolutely corresponds to the interests of our two countries, something that is sufficiently important to us and important to the Turkish side as well," he emphasized.

Before leaving for NATO’s Vilnius summit on Monday, Erdogan said that he would consent to Sweden’s accession to NATO, assuming Turkey is able to join the EU. The Turkish president met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and European Council President Charles Michel. What came out of these talks was Turkey agreeing to ratify Sweden’s accession protocol to NATO and submit a relevant document to be put to a vote in Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, or unicameral parliament, as soon as possible.

In return, Stockholm promised to accelerate Turkey’s EU accession process and facilitate the modernization of the customs union of Turkey and the EU.