BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence that Sweden will attain full membership in the military alliance by July at the latest, with the next NATO summit scheduled in Washington from July 9-11.
Both Sweden and Finland decided to abandon their longstanding neutrality and applied to become NATO allies following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. While Finland’s bid was swiftly approved, Sweden’s entry is encountering obstacles from Turkey and Hungary.
Sweden’s NATO Membership Bid
The delay in Sweden’s NATO membership is attributed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s demands for action against Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) members in Sweden. Erdoğan has been leveraging his veto power to secure F-16 fighter jets from the US Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also expressed reluctance, stating there is limited enthusiasm among Hungarian lawmakers to approve Sweden’s bid.
Despite these diplomatic challenges, Stoltenberg remains optimistic about Sweden’s NATO accession. The NATO Secretary-General noted that Stockholm has fulfilled its commitments to Ankara and made concessions in the process. The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee recently granted approval for Sweden to join the alliance after months of delays, with the general assembly’s final green light pending.
