VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday proposed new conditions for Sweden to join NATO, calling on European countries to “open the way” for Turkey to join the European Union.
Erdogan’s surprise announcement ahead of his trip to the Lithuanian capital for a NATO summit added new uncertainty to Sweden’s bid to become NATO’s 32nd member. Turkey initially blocked Sweden from joining, saying Sweden was too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considered a security threat.
This is the first time Erdogan has linked Sweden’s EU ambitions with Sweden’s efforts to join NATO.
“Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the EU for more than 50 years and almost all NATO members are now members of the EU,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. An appeal.”
“Come on, make a way for Turkey to join the European Union. When you pave the way for Turkey, we will pave the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland,” he added.
Earlier, Erdogan’s office said he told U.S. President Joe Biden in a phone call on Sunday that Turkey wanted to send a “clear and strong” message of support for Turkey at a meeting of NATO leaders in Vilnius EU ambitions. The Biden-Erdogan call read out by the White House did not mention Turkey’s EU membership.
Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christensen are expected to meet in Vilnius later on Monday.
Asked about Erdogan’s comments, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he supported Turkey’s ambition to join the European Union, but noted that it was not part of a NATO meeting between Sweden, Finland and Turkey in Madrid last year. conditions outlined in the agreement signed at the summit.
Stoltenberg reiterated that Sweden had fulfilled those conditions, saying he believed a positive decision on the country’s membership was still “possible” at this week’s summit in Lithuania.
“You cannot link the two processes in Turkey,” European Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant said.
Turkey is a candidate for EU membership, but democratic backsliding under Erdogan’s presidency, a dispute with EU member Cyprus and other issues have stalled the country’s progress towards joining the bloc of 27 nations.
However, a NATO member, Erdogan’s government has delayed approving Sweden to join the alliance, saying the government in Stockholm needs to do more to crack down on Kurdish militants and other groups. A series of anti-Turkish and anti-Islamic protests in the Swedish capital has raised doubts about whether a deal meeting Turkish demands can be reached ahead of the coalition summit.
Turkey has angered other NATO allies, including the United States, by delaying Sweden’s accession. Biden’s national security adviser, Jack Sullivan, confirmed Sunday that Biden and Erdogan had discussed Sweden’s NATO membership earlier in the day, among other issues, and agreed to meet in Vilnius for further talks. Sullivan made no mention of EU membership.
He said the White House had full confidence in Sweden joining the alliance.
“If this happens after Vilnius, we are confident it will happen,” he said. “We don’t think it’s fundamentally questionable. It’s a matter of when. The sooner the better.”
Erdogan’s latest remarks shocked experienced Turkish analysts.
Paul Levin, director of the Turkey Institute at Stockholm University, said: “Erdogan has made new demands throughout the process and repeatedly adjusted his goals, but his attempt to pressure the EU on NATO issues has been quite remarkable.”
“However, I think we should interpret his comments with caution at this point. They could be signaling everything from getting ready for a face-saving deal with Sweden to trying to derail NATO’s eastward expansion by making impossible demands,” Lay said. Wen added. “What can be said is that if he actually makes Sweden’s accession to NATO conditional on restarting Turkey’s accession process, then Sweden is unlikely to become a NATO ally anytime soon.”
Before Erdogan’s comments, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bierstrom expressed optimism that Turkey would drop its opposition to Stockholm’s NATO membership.
“Of course, what we’re counting on is that we get a message from President Erdogan, what you might call a green light… a message that the ratification process in Turkey will be approved.” Parliament It’s time to start,” Bilstrom told Swedish broadcaster SVT.
He insisted Sweden had fulfilled part of the deal with Finland and Turkey, which included lifting an arms embargo on Turkey, tightening anti-terrorism laws and stepping up efforts to stop the activities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Insurgency in Turkey since the 1980s.
“We should see it as a settled issue because it’s not a question of if. At the NATO summit in Madrid last year, Turkey had already given Sweden the status of a NATO invited country. So it’s a question of when ,” He said.
Birstrom said he expected Hungary, which has not yet ratified Sweden, to ratify Sweden ahead of Turkey.
Previously nonaligned Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined in April after Türkiye ratified it.
Erdogan reiterated on Monday that Turkey wanted Sweden to fulfill its pledge to fight groups that Ankara deems terrorists.
“We are tired of repeating that (Sweden) needs to fight indiscriminately against terrorist organizations and their extension,” Erdogan said.