Ahead of NATO meeting in July
Erdogan keeps Sweden wriggling
06/14/2023 4:52 p.m
Despite massive pressure from Washington, the Turkish president continues to allow himself to be asked in the dispute over Sweden joining NATO. Hopes in Stockholm that Ankara would give the green light for the July summit have not been fulfilled. Further talks are pending.
In the dispute over Sweden’s membership in NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not satisfied with the promises made in Stockholm and wants to block the project further. Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying that he could not agree to accession as long as the Swedish government did not prevent anti-Turkish protests in their country. Therefore, Sweden should not expect a change in Ankara’s stance at the NATO summit in July.
Erdogan was quoted as saying that Turkey could not positively assess the desire for accession as long as terrorists were protesting in Stockholm. According to the media, he made statements to reporters on a return flight from Azerbaijan on Tuesday. According to the newly re-elected President, Turkey’s position will be made clear again in talks with Swedish representatives this Wednesday in Ankara.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said a few days ago that the meeting should serve to clear up Turkish objections. In the past, he had repeatedly expressed optimism about an impending approval by Turkey, but this has not happened so far. Stoltenberg pointed out that Sweden had already taken significant steps towards Turkey. He was referring to a Swedish constitutional amendment and the intensification of cooperation with Turkey in the fight against terrorism.
Sweden has said it has kept its end of the bargain with Turkey. Like Finland, Sweden was militarily neutral for a long time. But that changed after Russia attacked Ukraine: both countries applied for NATO membership last year and wanted to go down this path together. However, Turkey is maintaining its resistance to Sweden, while Finland has long been part of the alliance.
US President Biden brings F-16 deal into play
According to observers, Erdogan could also want to achieve other goals with his actions, such as the USA promising him the delivery of US F-16 fighter jets before approval. Immediately after Erdogan’s re-election, US President Joe Biden made a link between Turkey’s desire for American F16 fighter jets and the United States’ desire for Sweden to join NATO. Biden said in Washington at the end of May that he had made this clear in a telephone call to Erdogan. “I told him we want to deal with Sweden, so let’s do that,” Biden said.
Since the admission of new members depends on the approval of each coalition partner, Turkey can single-handedly block accession. However, Hungary is also currently rejecting Swedish NATO membership. The government in Budapest is bothered by the fact that Sweden is supporting a lawsuit brought against Hungary by the EU Commission for violations of the rule of law.