Waiting for Turkish Go
Stoltenberg: Sweden already in NATO in November
October 24, 2023, 2:05 p.m
After concessions from Sweden, Turkish President Erdogan is releasing his blockade on admitting the Scandinavians into NATO. Now everything could happen very quickly, with only a few bureaucratic hurdles remaining.
Sweden is set to officially join NATO next month after the end of the Turkish blockade. In a letter to the current members of the defense alliance, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg named a meeting of foreign ministers on November 28th and 29th as the target date, as several diplomats in Brussels confirmed.
Sweden had originally hoped to join NATO in the summer of 2022. However, the country’s admission was blocked by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan until the beginning of this week. He accused Swedish politicians of a lack of action against “terrorist organizations” such as the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK). After concessions from Sweden, Erdogan announced on Monday that he would allow the so-called accession protocol to be ratified by the Turkish parliament.
Armament issues also play a role in Sweden’s accession to NATO. Turkey has long sought U.S. Congressional approval of the $20 billion sale of F-16 jets and other military goods to Ankara. Erdogan has linked Sweden’s NATO bid to US support for his bid.
It was initially unclear when the Turkish parliament would vote on the Swedish proposal. Before the National Assembly can discuss it, it must pass the Foreign Relations Commission. In addition, Hungary must also formally agree to Sweden’s accession.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland decided to apply for membership in NATO after a long period of military freedom from alliance. Finland was admitted to NATO as the 31st member on April 4th this year. Sweden is set to become the 32nd member.