Swedish prosecutors say they will ask Ecuador for permission to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, following the adoption of a legal pact with Quito that granted him asylum.
Swedish prosecutors want to interview Assange in relation to a suspected rape in 2010, an allegation he denies.
The application to interview Assange will be sent "as soon as possible" via diplomatic channels, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said.
The move came shortly after the Swedish cabinet formally approved an agreement on "legal assistance" in criminal cases with the South American country.
The questioning would be conducted at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where the 44-year-old Australian has been holed up since 2012.
He fled there after he lost a legal battle in Britain against extradition to Sweden.
Ecuador then granted Assange asylum after he said he feared extradition to the United States, where he is wanted in connection with WikiLeaks' publication of top secret diplomatic cables.
Earlier this year, the prosecutors agreed to interview Assange in London after long arguing that there was no value in questioning him there because any trial would most likely have to take place in Sweden.
Three other cases of alleged sexual assault against Assange were dropped in August due to a Swedish statute of limitations, but the rape allegation remains.
