Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his concerns to U.S. President Joe Biden regarding Sweden’s application for NATO membership. In a phone call between the two leaders on Sunday, President Biden conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible, according to a statement released by the White House.
However, Erdogan noted that he hasn’t seen enough progress from Sweden in terms of anti-terrorism measures to approve their NATO membership. He acknowledged that Stockholm has taken some positive steps by revising its anti-terrorism legislation, but he emphasized that Sweden still allows pro-Kurdish “terrorist organizations” to hold public demonstrations.
“This nullifies the steps taken,” Erdogan stated during the phone call, which took place ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Sweden and its neighboring country Finland applied for NATO membership last year, deviating from their long-standing tradition of military neutrality due to security concerns raised by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While Finland was officially admitted to the alliance in April, Turkey essentially blocked Sweden’s bid by accusing the country of sheltering Kurdish terrorists. The NATO bylaws require unanimous approval from all member countries before new members can be admitted.
Previously, Biden had urged Erdogan to approve Sweden’s NATO application by linking it to the U.S. approval for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. However, the recent Turkish statement suggests that Biden may have agreed to decouple the issues.
According to Ankara, Erdogan stated that it wasn’t appropriate to tie Turkey’s F-16 request to Sweden’s bid. He thanked Biden for supporting the fighter-jet deal during the phone call. The White House, on the other hand, only mentioned that the leaders “reviewed efforts to strengthen our bilateral ties.” They also agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Vilnius summit to further discuss bilateral issues.
The hesitation from Turkey regarding Sweden’s NATO membership is likely due to its ongoing conflict with Kurdish groups. Turkey views some Kurdish organizations as terrorist groups and has been involved in military operations against them. Concerns about Sweden’s perceived support for these groups have led Erdogan to express reservations about their NATO membership.
Sweden will need to address Turkey’s concerns and continue to make progress in its anti-terrorism measures to secure approval for NATO membership. The ongoing dialogue between Turkish and U.S. leaders shows that the issue is being actively discussed and negotiations are taking place. Further discussions at the Vilnius summit may provide an opportunity for Sweden to address Turkey’s concerns and present its case for NATO membership.
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