Western Countries Pressure Turkey to Admit Sweden Into NATO

FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Western countries have been increasing pressure on Turkey to admit Sweden to NATO after it made its bid in 2022, but Ankara wants concessions before it even considers the Scandinavian nation.

Potential candidates for membership in NATO must be approved by all current members.

The government of Turkey said it would oppose Stockholm’s entry into the alliance until it cracks down on members of Kurdish militant groups residing in Sweden.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused the Swedish government of not fulfilling its part of last year’s deal meant to calm Ankara’s security concerns.

Sweden’s move to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a historic shift from over two centuries of declared neutrality from armed conflict.

Ankara Demands Swedish Crackdown on Kurdish Dissidents

Erdoğan has been highly critical of other incidents in Stockholm, such as the burning of a Koran in front of the Turkish embassy, the unfurling of a flag of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the city center, and the projection of pro-PKK symbols on prominent buildings.

Ankara demanded action this week after the pro-Kurdish dissident group, Swedish Solidarity Committee for Rojava, posted a tweet of the PKK flag projected on the Swedish Parliament building.

Another tweet from the same account also plastered “Freedom for Ocalan,” in reference to the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, onto the parliament building.

Turkey called on Sweden on Tuesday to prosecute those responsible for posting those images, on the same day that Erdogan won a presidential runoff to serve for another term.

“We expect the Swedish authorities to investigate this incident, hold accountable those responsible, and stop self-identified members of PKK—which the EU recognizes as a terrorist entity—from operating on Swedish soil,” Fahrettin Altun, Erdoğan’s communications director, said on Twitter.

The presidential spokesman said he hoped the Swedes would properly enforce a new anti-terror law taking effect on June 1 that would prevent PKK members from attending a demonstration against Stockholm’s bid NATO bid on June 4.

The Kurdistan Workers Party, or the PKK, is labeled by the United States, the European Union, and Turkey as a terrorist organization.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told the Financial Times that the new anti-terror law would finally deliver “on the last part” of an agreement with Turkey to gain its support for entry into NATO.

“It is time to seriously consider Sweden’s application for NATO membership . . . Only [Russian president] Vladimir Putin has anything to gain from Sweden remaining outside NATO,” said Kristersson.

Turkey and NATO at an Impasse

Erdoğan allowed Finland to join NATO in March but continues to hold up Stockholm’s entry over the PKK issue, which is overwhelmingly  supported by his political base.

The standoff has caused friction between Turkey and the rest of the alliance while it tries to stay unified as it escalates its involvement in Ukraine.

The relationship between Erdoğan, Washington, and Brussels has been tense for years over Turkey’s relationship with some of its neighbors, many of which have hostile relations with the West.

Alliance members have been tolerant of Erdoğan’s attempts to satisfy his domestic base during Turkey’s presidential election, but they are now stepping up the pressure now that it is over.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on May 30, ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers, that it was “absolutely possible” to have Sweden join the alliance by its July 11 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Stoltenberg tweeted that he had a “good call” with the Turkish president in which they discussed “finalizing Sweden’s accession to NATO.”

“My message is that it’s within reach . . . There is a window now. We are working hard to have this as soon as possible,” Stoltenberg tweeted.

The Swedish prime minister and the Turkish president have been invited to meet at the European Political Community summit in Moldova on June 1, a new forum sponsored by President Emmanuel Macron of France.

Other Nordic members told the Financial Times that they were frustrated at Washington for not pressuring Erdoğan hard enough in the past but said they were more optimistic this will change in the wake of the Turkish elections.

They argued that Sweden’s entry was vital for the security of the Nordic and Baltic regions in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.

“We expect that Turkey will now ratify Sweden’s application,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre this week.

Biden Administration Expects Erdoğan to Accept Sweden’s NATO Bid

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to Erdoğan on May 29 to congratulate him on his reelection.

“He still wants to work on something on the F-16s [fighter jets],” Biden said. “I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done.”

Turkey made a deal to purchase a multibillion dollars purchase of F-16 fighter jets, but the deal has stalled in Congress.

The White House approved a $259 million upgrade package in April for their existing F-16s after Ankara agreed to allow Finland to join NATO.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Sweden on May 30 ahead of the meeting in Vilnius, where he urged Erdoğan to act.

“The time to move forward is now, we’d like to see that happen before the Vilnius summit,” Blinken said.

However, Ahmet Berat Conkar, head of Turkey’s delegation at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, told Reuters that Turkey would take a wait-and-see approach regarding’s Sweden’s enforcement of the new anti-terror laws.

“These factors will be important in our parliament’s decision on Swedish membership. But on a positive note, as you see in Finland’s case, Turkey is open to NATO enlargement, and we will apply the same standard to Sweden as well,” he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.