Despite not meeting all of the requirements Ankara has set for its support, Sweden is sure that Turkey will approve its application to join the NATO military alliance, according to the country’s prime minister.
During a security briefing on Sunday, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, “Turkey both verifies that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say that they want things that we cannot or do not want to offer them.”
In 2022, Finland, Sweden, and Turkey agreed to a trilateral agreement to address Ankara’s concerns over their participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In May, the two Nordic nations submitted applications to join the military alliance in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the previous year. Turkey, however, has voiced its opposition to their participation and charged them with harboring Kurdish rebels.
It refused to accept their membership unless both nations took the necessary actions, including as collaborating with Turkey to combat the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is regarded as a “terrorist” organization by the US and the EU.
Strong ties between Sweden and the Kurdish diaspora have caused friction between the two nations. Additionally, Turkey is asking for the extradition of those it considers to be “terrorists.”
The extradition of exiled Turkish journalist Bulent Kenes, which was one of Ankara’s main demands to approve Stockholm’s NATO membership, was rejected by Sweden’s Supreme Court in December. Kenes has been charged with involvement in a 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by Turkey.
33 accused Kurdish combatants and coup plan suspects are wanted by Turkey in Sweden and Finland.
Turkey complimented Sweden for reacting to its security concerns at the end of December, but emphasized that more was required to secure Ankara’s full support for Stockholm’s stalled NATO membership application.
Only two of the 30 NATO members, Turkey and Hungary, have not yet given their approval to both countries’ proposals.
According to Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, the parliament will shortly approve both Finland’s and Sweden’s applications for membership, leaving Turkey as the sole obstacle to clear.
While acknowledging that the choice ultimately rests with the Turkish and Hungarian parliaments, NATO commander Jens Stoltenberg stated that he anticipates Sweden and Finland joining the alliance as early as this year.
Since the Turkish and Hungarian parliaments have not yet ratified the deal, Stoltenberg stated that he “expects [that admission will occur in 2023], but I will not guarantee the specific date.”
The time has come to complete the accession process and ratify the accession agreement, he noted, and Finland and Sweden “are obviously committed to long-term collaboration with Turkey.”
