An alliance boost as Turkey agrees to support Sweden’s NATO bid
In an effort to present a united front in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has promised to quit opposing Sweden’s NATO candidature and would cooperate to assure the Nordic country’s admission in the near future.
After months of discussions, Turkey will ask its parliament to fast-track Sweden’s admission in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation “as soon as possible,” Alliance Chief Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday. The shift in policy was first reported by Bloomberg News on Monday.
On Monday, Turkey gave the go-ahead for Sweden’s membership in NATO, setting the stage for the allies to demonstrate their solidarity at a summit aimed at rallying international support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s incursion.
The blocking of Sweden’s membership application by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threw a shadow over Tuesday’s meeting, although tensions were resolved in last-minute discussions between Sweden and Turkey.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and he called it a “historic day” when Erdogan decided to support Sweden’s application.The successful completion of Sweden’s entrance to NATO is a historic move that will improve the safety of all NATO members. “It makes us stronger and safer together,” Stoltenberg added.
Erdogan has pledged to advocate for the confirmation of Sweden’s application in the Turkish parliament.
It has not yet been approved in Hungary, but Prime Minister Viktor Orban has promised that his administration would not be the last to do so.
The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, was also present in Vilnius for the summit, and he extended his gratitude to Stoltenberg by saying, “I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd NATO ally.”
Because Ankara views Swedes who house Kurdish activists as terrorists, Turkey has been delaying Sweden’s application to join the Atlantic alliance.
And on Monday, Erdogan raised the stakes even further by making membership in NATO for Sweden conditional on the European Union reviving Turkey’s failed EU membership request.
However, the statement produced following the three-way discussions indicated that Turkey and Sweden would work closely together in “counter-terrorism coordination” and increase bilateral trade ties.
The meeting went well.
Sweden “will actively support efforts to reinvigorate Turkiye’s EU accession process,” according to the statement. This includes “modernising the EU-Turkey Customs Union and liberalising visas.”
Turkey’s President Erdogan reached that understanding with European Union (EU) chief Charles Michel, president of the European Council, after pausing his discussions with Stoltenberg and Kristersson to consult with Michel separately.
Michel praised the “good meeting,” saying they had “explored opportunities ahead to bring EU-Turkey cooperation back to the forefront and re-energise our relations.”
Since 2005, Turkey has been a formal candidate to join the European Union (though it has been an aspirant for membership for much longer), but talks have been stuck in a rut with little progress being made.
Despite the lack of official membership discussions, Monday’s words suggest that Ankara and Brussels may move forward with growing commerce, amending their customs agreements, and loosening visa requirements.
Sweden and Turkey are not linked in their aspirations, according to German politician Olaf Scholz. EU members remain sceptical of Ankara’s commitment to democratic and rule of law reforms.
Scholz stated in Berlin, “Sweden meets all the requirements for NATO membership.”
To paraphrase, “the other question is one that is not connected with it and that is why I do not think it should be seen as a connected issue.”
Separately, Ukraine has welcomed progress in its fight for a guarantee that, should it defeat the Russian invasion, it will be able to join the Western alliance as a full NATO member.
This is a long-awaited verdict.
According to a Western official quoted by AFP, the alliance will no longer demand that Ukraine complete a “Membership Action Plan,” a kind of road map to military reform that has been required of some allies.
The foreign minister of Ukraine expressed concern that this concession, about which Moscow expressed grave concerns for European security, would slow down Ukraine’s progress towards NATO membership.
Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, “I welcome this long-awaited decision that shortens our path to NATO.”
“This is also the perfect time to provide clarification on the invitation to Ukraine to join.”
NATO leaders in Vilnius are still divided on whether or not to grant Ukraine a clear path to joining the alliance.
The United States and Germany are hesitant to go beyond an earlier vow that Ukraine will become a member one day, while Ukraine’s Eastern allies are pushing for Kyiv to get an explicit commitment on when it can join.
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Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar also reported that Ukrainian forces had established fire control over the “entrances, exits, and movement of the enemy around the city” of Bakhmut.
