London, UK: Turkey’s President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to back Sweden’s bid to join NATO, according to an announcement by NATO chief Mr. Jens Stoltenberg. Mr. Erdogan has pledged to forward Sweden’s application to the Turkish parliament and ensure its ratification. The decision comes after months of Turkey blocking Sweden’s application, citing concerns about hosting Kurdish militants. As a NATO member, Turkey holds veto power over new countries seeking to join the alliance.
The Swedish Prime Minister Mr. Ulf Kristersson expressed his happiness calling it a “good day for Sweden.” US President Mr. Joe Biden welcomed Erdogan’s commitment to swift ratification, expressing readiness to work with Turkey and Sweden to enhance defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. The White House issued a statement anticipating the inclusion of Sweden as NATO’s 32nd ally.
The agreement was reached during talks between Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Kristersson in Vilnius, Lithuania, as confirmed by Stoltenberg. Describing it as a “historic step,” Stoltenberg emphasized that a specific date for Sweden’s NATO membership cannot be provided until the Turkish parliament completes the ratification process.
Last year, both Sweden and its neighboring country Finland, traditionally neutral nations, expressed their intention to join NATO following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland formally joined NATO in April 2023. Mr. Stoltenberg mentioned that Turkey and Sweden have addressed Turkey’s legitimate security concerns, leading Sweden to amend its constitution, revise laws, expand counter-terrorism operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and resume arms exports to Turkey.
Currently, Hungary and Turkey are the only two NATO members yet to ratify Sweden’s membership application. Mr. Stoltenberg expressed confidence that Hungary’s opposition would be resolved, as the country has indicated it would not be the last to ratify.
Earlier on the same day, Mr. Erdogan had appeared to link Turkey’s support for Sweden’s NATO bid to the European Union’s reopening of frozen membership talks with Ankara. However, EU officials dismissed this demand, stating that the two issues were separate. In response to the agreement, NATO announced that Sweden would actively support efforts to revitalize Turkey’s EU accession process, including the modernization of the EU-Turkey customs union and visa liberalization.
Turkey’s journey towards EU membership began in 1987 but has stalled due to concerns over Erdogan’s authoritarian tendencies. However, Turkey has played a unique role as a NATO leader with influence in Moscow, helping to broker last year’s Black Sea Grain Initiative and supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian threats.
The two-day NATO summit, set to begin in Vilnius, will discuss Ukraine’s membership bid. While all alliance members agree that Ukraine cannot join during the ongoing war, Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes the summit will provide a clear signal of support. Eastern European NATO members advocate for fast-track membership for Ukraine, while others, including the United States and Germany, are more cautious.
Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Mr. Dmitry Peskov warned that Ukraine’s NATO membership would have negative consequences for the security architecture in Europe, which is already unstable. He stated that Ukrainian membership would pose a significant danger and elicit a firm and clear response from Russia.
RELATED | NATO launches new maritime centre to protect undersea pipelines
