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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Image Credit: Google |
Turkiye,
Sweden, and Finland are scheduled to convene this month to discuss Sweden's bid
to join NATO.
NATO
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has remained unsuccessful in his attempts to
convince Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in
Istanbul on Sunday.
Stoltenberg's
visit to Turkiye coincided with Erdogan's inauguration ceremony on Saturday.
He also met
with Turkiye's new foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, who replaces Mevlut Cavusoglu
and is a former director of the National Intelligence Organization.
Legitimate
Security Concerns Raised by Turkiye:
Addressing the
press on Sunday, Stoltenberg acknowledged Turkiye's legitimate security
concerns, highlighting that no other ally has experienced as many terrorist
attacks as Turkiye.
He further
acknowledged Sweden's efforts to address Turkiye's concerns, including amending
its constitution, lifting the arms embargo, and intensifying counterterrorism
collaboration, particularly against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Sweden's
Compliance with Obligations:
Stoltenberg
affirmed that Sweden has fulfilled its obligations, leading to the perception
that they have taken significant steps to address Turkiye's concerns.
Ankara's
Objections and Accusations:
Turkiye has
voiced its objections to Sweden's NATO membership and has accused the country
of being a "safe haven" for "terrorists."
Turkiye has also issued extradition requests,
some of which Sweden has accepted, while others have been declined.
Trilateral
Agreement and Finland's Membership:
During the NATO
summit in Madrid last June, Turkiye, Sweden, and Finland signed a trilateral
agreement.
The agreement
stipulated that Turkiye would support the NATO membership of the two Nordic
countries if certain conditions were met.
Finland joined
NATO in April after its membership was ratified by the Turkish Parliament in
March.
Remaining
Hurdles and Protests:
Besides
Turkiye, Hungary is another NATO member yet to ratify Sweden's membership.
The criteria to
add fresh member includes the agreement of all 31 members. So, all of them must
agree for Sweden to become a member.
In Stockholm,
hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against Sweden's NATO bid and
its recently implemented anti-terror law.
The protesters
displayed PKK flags and signs reading,
"No to NATO."
Turkish
Authorities' Concerns:
Last week,
Turkiye called on Swedish authorities to prevent a scheduled demonstration
titled "No to NATO, No Erdogan Laws in Sweden," organized by groups
affiliated with the PKK.
A spokesman for
the Turkish presidency deemed it "completely unacceptable" that PKK
terrorists operate freely in Sweden.
Upcoming
Meetings and NATO Summit:
Stoltenberg and
Erdogan agreed to reconvene the permanent joint mechanism established in June.
They scheduled
the meeting for the week starting June 12. Furthermore, NATO defense ministers
are set to meet in Brussels on June 15 and 16.
The next NATO
summit will take place on July 11-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Potential US
Support and Trade Deals:
US President
Joe Biden expressed confidence in Sweden's NATO membership prospects and
mentioned ongoing negotiations with Erdogan regarding F-16 fighter jets.
Biden revealed
his desire to reach a deal with Sweden and Turkiye, indicating possible US
support for Sweden's accession.
Potential
Incentives for Erdogan:
Luigi
Scazzieri, a senior research fellow at the Center for European Reform, suggests
that Erdogan may require tangible benefits in exchange for lifting the veto.
These benefits
could include an invitation to the White House and the finalization of the F-16
purchase, which has faced opposition from some members of the US Congress.
Future
Scenarios:
If a deal
between the US and Turkiye cannot be reached before the NATO Vilnius summit in
July, tensions between Turkiye and its Western allies are likely to escalate,
warns Scazzieri.
(Courtesy:
China Daily)
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