Sweden’s path to NATO membership cleared after Turkey greenlights bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Agreed to support Sweden’s bid Joining NATO clears the way for the latter to become part of the military alliance.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on the eve of the two-day NATO summit in Vilnius: “Completing Sweden’s accession to NATO is a historic step that benefits the security of all NATO allies at this critical juncture. It enables We are all stronger and safer.”, Lithuania.

Erdogan blocked the move for a year, first approving Finland’s bid. Ankara’s objections are complex but center on Sweden’s support for Kurdish groups that Turkey deems terrorists, and the arms embargo imposed by Sweden and Finland, among other EU countries, on Turkey targeting Syrian Kurdish militias.

The attack sparked protests against Turkey in the Swedish capital, which escalated earlier this year when far-right demonstrators burned a copy of the Koran. The move was quickly criticized and threatened to cancel Sweden’s plans to join NATO.

nato says Sweden and Turkey have been working closely since last year’s summit to address the latter’s security concerns.

“Sweden amended its constitution, amended its laws, significantly expanded anti-terrorism cooperation against the PKK, and resumed arms exports to Turkey,” the statement said. The PKK has been listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.

Countries also agreed that counter-terrorism cooperation is a long-term effort that will continue after Sweden joins NATO.

U.S. President Joe Biden praises “I stand ready to work with President Erdogan and Turkey to strengthen defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic region,” he said.

Adjunct senior fellow William Courtney, however, said Turkey’s approval of the bid had been “predicted for some time”, especially if Erdogan was re-elected for a third term, as he would no longer need to use the issue to campaign for nationalism support. in rand.

Ahead of Türkiye’s general election in May, The country’s presidential spokesman said in March Ankara “opens the door” to Stockholm’s efforts to join the military alliance.

Courtney added that NATO’s expansion along Europe’s eastern flank could also make the military alliance “stronger” with the addition of Finland and Sweden.

“The addition of Finland on the northern flank, in particular, brings a whole new capability to NATO on the eastern edge.”