Turkey’s Erdogan Agrees To Endorse Sweden’s NATO Bid, Stoltenberg Says
Updated Jul 10, 2023, 04:34pm EDT
Topline
After years of opposition, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Monday to support Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced, a move that would bolster the western alliance’s power amid Russian objections.
Key Facts
Erdogan has long opposed Sweden’s entrance to the alliance over claims the Scandinavian country has not cracked down on its ties to Kurdish groups—which Turkey considers terrorist organizations.
On Monday, however, he agreed to move forward with a protocol to allow Sweden to become the 32nd member of the organization, Stoltenberg announced, following talks in Vilnius, Lithuania, between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Erdogan had simultaneously been pushing for Turkey to join the European Union, telling reporters on Monday that Turkey should be admitted to the 27-country bloc before Turkey would lift its opposition to Sweden joining NATO—all NATO members are required to approve new admissions, meaning resistance from Turkey and Hungary formed an effective veto on the measure.
Stoltenberg also said Sweden, in return for Erdogan’s support, addressed Turkey’s security concerns and “significantly expanded” its counter-terrorism efforts against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and would help Turkey enter the E.U., though Turkey’s admission into the E.U. is not straightforward—E.U. spokesperson Dana Spinant argued against Turkey’s plea to “link the two processes” on Monday.
Chief Critic
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has used NATO’s expansion as a justification for his invasion of Ukraine last February, said in an interview last year that Russia “will see what threats are created for us” if both Sweden and neighboring Finland join NATO, and suggested Moscow’s response could involve the threat of nuclear weapons, according to a Reuters translation.
Tangent
NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the organization just over a year ago, releasing a statement arguing their accession would make NATO stronger and “more secure” after years of opposition from Turkey. Finland’s acceptance into NATO was approved in April, nearly one year after NATO ally countries signed the country’s accession protocol, making the country, which borders Russia, the 31st NATO state—a move Stoltenberg called “good for Finland” and “good for Nordic security” and for “NATO as a whole.” President Joe Biden also praised the move, saying: “When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression” in Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong.”
Further Reading
Finland And Sweden Closer To Joining NATO As Turkey Drops Objection (Forbes)
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