NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Monday that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to submit Sweden’s accession protocol for NATO membership to the Turkish Parliament and ensure its approval. This development comes after talks between Stoltenberg, Erdogan, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ahead of the NATO summit in Lithuania. Turkey’s objections had previously hindered Sweden’s bid to join the alliance.
Stoltenberg hailed the commitment from Turkey as a historic day and expressed his satisfaction with the decision. Erdogan had previously stated that he would block Sweden’s entry unless European member countries of NATO facilitate Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU). Turkey believes that Sweden has been too lenient on security threats posed by Kurdish militants and other groups.
Upon his arrival in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the NATO summit, Erdogan held separate meetings with Kristersson and European Council President Charles Michel. Michel tweeted about exploring opportunities for cooperation and re-energizing relations with Turkey. Furthermore, he has assigned the European Commission to draft a report to proceed strategically and forward-looking.
Turkey, as a candidate for EU membership, has faced obstacles since 2018 due to concerns about democracy, the rule of law, and human rights abuses during Erdogan’s presidency, in addition to disputes with EU-member Cyprus. Erdogan’s linking of Turkey’s EU aspirations with Sweden’s NATO membership bid is a new condition presented by Turkey.
Erdogan urged NATO member countries to facilitate Turkey’s admission to the EU, highlighting that most NATO members are already part of the European Union. In Istanbul, he emphasized the need for these countries to “open the way” for Turkey’s EU membership, promising that Turkey would do the same for Sweden, drawing a parallel with Finland’s path to NATO.
Earlier, Erdogan had urged U.S. President Joe Biden to deliver a clear and strong message of support for Turkey’s EU ambitions during their phone call. However, the White House readout of the call did not mention Turkish EU membership.
Erdogan’s government had stalled the ratification of Sweden’s accession due to demands for further action against Kurdish militants and other groups by the Swedish administration. Protests in Stockholm opposing Turkey and Islam had cast doubt on the possibility of fulfilling Turkey’s demands prior to the NATO summit.
Turkey’s delaying tactics have irked other NATO allies, including the United States. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, confirmed the discussion about Sweden’s NATO membership during the Biden-Erdogan call and their agreement to meet in Vilnius for further talks. Sullivan expressed confidence that Sweden will eventually join the alliance.
Last year, Sweden and Finland, which were previously non-aligned, applied for NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s admission was completed in April after Turkish ratification.
The NATO summit in Vilnius will also focus on Ukraine’s relationship with NATO and the security guarantees needed to prevent future Russian invasions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the summit in person on Wednesday.
Stoltenberg highlighted the importance of supporting Ukraine’s resistance against the Russian invasion, emphasizing that without Ukraine’s success, there would be no membership issue to discuss at all.
Reported by Karl Ritter and Suzan Fraser from Vilnius, Lithuania. AP White House reporter Chris Megerian in London contributed to this report.
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