NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has announced that President Erdogan has agreed to support Sweden’s bid for NATO membership in Turkey’s parliament.
After a year of blocking the move due to Turkish security concerns, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join NATO.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Monday that President Erdogan has agreed to forward Sweden’s membership bid to Turkey’s parliament.
Following discussions in Vilnius, Lithuania, involving President Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, it has been announced that Turkey has agreed to support Sweden’s bid to join NATO.
Stoltenberg, during a news conference, stated that President Erdogan has agreed to submit Sweden’s accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly for ratification as soon as possible. He emphasized that this development marks a historic day.
Membership in NATO requires the approval of all member states. Turkey had previously hindered Sweden’s NATO accession, accusing Stockholm of providing shelter to Kurdish militants that Ankara considers “terrorists.” Anti-Islam activists burning the Quran in Stockholm displeased Turkish officials, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the demonstrations.
The joint statement confirmed Turkey and Sweden’s close collaboration in counterterrorism coordination and strengthening trade relations.
At the Gates of the European Union
Before departing for a NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital, President Erdogan raised the stakes by demanding that the European Union (EU) revive Turkey’s stalled membership bid as a condition for Sweden to join NATO.
This unexpected announcement introduced additional uncertainty to Sweden’s aspirations of becoming the 32nd member of the alliance.
For the first time, President Erdogan has linked Turkey’s ambition to join the EU with Sweden’s efforts to join NATO. Erdogan stated that Turkey has been waiting at the EU’s door for over 50 years, emphasizing that most NATO member countries are also EU members. He urged countries to facilitate Turkey’s EU membership while mentioning reciprocal support for Sweden’s NATO bid, as done for Finland.
US President Joe Biden commended Erdogan’s commitment to Sweden’s NATO bid. He expressed readiness to work with Turkey on enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. The White House statement also expressed eagerness to welcome Sweden as the 32nd NATO ally. The statement also thanked NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg for his leadership.
Finland’s Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, revealed that her country has been advocating for Sweden’s bid to be ratified. Valtonen stressed that Finland’s membership is incomplete without Sweden. Both Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022. It was based on the rising concerns of Russian aggression in northern Europe following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
