Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has suggested that Turkey could approve Sweden's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) if European nations "open the way" to Turkey's bid to join the European Union (EU). Erdoğan made these remarks in Ankara on July 10 before heading to the NATO summit meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Turkey has been withholding its final approval of Sweden's NATO membership, citing concerns over the Swedish government's actions against Kurdish militants and other groups it considers threats to national security. Additionally, recent anti-Turkey and anti-Islam protests in Stockholm have further complicated the situation, casting doubt on whether an agreement could be reached before the alliance's summit.
The Turkish president's comments come as NATO leaders prepare to convene in Vilnius for a two-day summit, commencing on July 11. Among the key agenda items is the alliance's determination to respond should Russian president Vladimir Putin attempt to expand the war westward. In addition, NATO aims to bring Sweden into its fold, although Turkey and Hungary have yet to endorse this move.
Sweden maintains that it has fulfilled its part of a tripartite deal signed by Sweden, Finland, and Turkey during last year's NATO summit in Madrid. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström expressed optimism, stating that he expects Turkey to eventually signal its approval for Sweden's NATO membership. However, he was unsure whether this would occur during the annual summit.
"What we are counting on, of course, is to reach a point where we get a message back from president Erdogan that there will be what you might call a green light... a message that the ratification process in the Turkish Parliament can start," Billström said.
Turkey's bid to join the EU has faced obstacles due to concerns over Ankara's democratic backsliding and its disputes with EU-member Cyprus. Erdoğan's statement linking Sweden's NATO membership to progress on Turkey's EU bid suggests a potential strategy to leverage its influence in both organizations.
As NATO leaders gather in Vilnius, the fate of Sweden's NATO membership hangs in the balance, with Turkey's final approval potentially contingent on progress in Turkey's EU accession negotiations.
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