Erdogan drops objection to Swedish NATO membership
Sweden is back on course to join NATO in the coming weeks after Turkey unexpectedly backed down on resistance to its bid before the alliance’s summit in Lithuania.
Sweden is back on course to join NATO in the coming weeks after Turkey dropped its objections before the alliance’s summit on Monday night in Lithuania.
The Nordic state applied for membership last May, wrenched out of more than two centuries of neutrality by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland, its closest defence partner, was admitted into the alliance three months ago, but Sweden’s accession had been held up by resistance from Turkey and Hungary.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey had accused Sweden of giving succour to Turkish “terrorists” such as members of the PKK, a Kurdish separatist militia, and complained about two incidents in which copies of the Koran were burnt in Stockholm.
The situation seemed to have reached an impasse and Swedish diplomats had quietly begun preparing for a delayed entry into NATO.
Mr Erdogan’s resistance melted away after a meeting on the eve of the NATO summit with alliance secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minier Ulf Kristersson. The reasons were not immediately forthcoming.
It was all the more unexpected as earlier Mr Erdogan had sought to link the issue to Turkey’s long-dormant bid for EU membership, but that now appears to have been a catalyst for the resolution of the Sweden impasse.
Mr Stoltenberg tweeted: “Glad to announce that after the meeting I hosted President Erdogan has agreed to forward Sweden’s accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly (Turkey’s parliament) ASAP & ensure ratification. This is a historic step which makes all NATO allies stronger & safer.” Mr Kristersson said he was “very happy” and hailed “a good day for Sweden”.
Mr Stoltenberg said that NATO would appoint its first “special co-ordinator for counter-terrorism”, a priority for the Turkish government.
Turkey’s change of heart may also be linked to signals from the Biden administration that it is prepared to unblock a deal for Turkey to acquire US-made F-16 fighter jets, which had been delayed amid concerns the sensitive radar technology in the aircraft might find its way into Russian hands.
President Joe Biden welcomed the shift from Turkey and said he stood “ready to work with President Erdogan and Turkey on enhancing defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area”. “I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO ally,” he said.
While Hungary has yet to ratify Sweden’s accession, Western officials believe Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been waiting to follow Turkey’s lead, meaning Sweden could join NATO within weeks.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also welcomed the “good news” on Twitter.
Turkey has been a formal candidate to join the EU since 2005, and an aspirant since well before that, but talks have long been stalled with little sign of life
“First, open the way to Turkey’s membership of the European Union, and then we will open it for Sweden, just as we had opened it for Finland,” Mr Erdogan said, before flying to Lithuania.
Once in Vilnius, Mr Erdogan broke off talks with Mr Stoltenberg to hold an unplanned one-on-one with EU chief Charles Michel before then meeting Mr Kristersson. European Council president Mr Michel and Mr Erdogan agreed at their meeting to seek closer co-operation. In a tweet, Mr Michel hailed a “good meeting”, adding they had “explored opportunities ahead to bring EU-Turkey co-operation back to the forefront and re-energise our relations”.
Separately, Ukraine welcomed a move forward in its fight for a guarantee that it will be able to join NATO as a full member if and when it defeats the Russian invasion. A Western official said the allies will drop the requirement that Kyiv complete a “Membership Action Plan”, a kind of road map to military reform that some allies have had to follow.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this concession – which Moscow warned would have serious consequences for European security – would shorten Kyiv’s path to NATO membership. “It is also the best moment to offer clarity on the invitation to Ukraine to become member,” Mr Kuleba tweeted.
“Ukraine deserves to be in the alliance. Not now, because now there’s war, but we need a clear signal and this signal is needed right now,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message posted on Telegram.
But NATO leaders remain divided over offering Ukraine a clear route into the alliance in Vilnius.
While Eastern allies are pushing for Kyiv to get an explicit commitment on when it can join, the US and Germany are reluctant to go beyond an earlier vow that it will become a member one day.
The Times
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