Ankara Between Turkey and Sweden there are increasing signs of a breakthrough in the accession of the Scandinavian country to NATO. Turkey has agreed to continue a specially set up talks mechanism between the two states. Government officials from Ankara and Stockholm will therefore meet next week to discuss obstacles to Sweden’s NATO accession.
“Many in Ankara are expecting approval this month,” explains Walter Glos, who heads the office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the Turkish capital Ankara. Sweden had previously met one of Turkey’s accession conditions and passed a new terror law. Turkey has so far rejected Sweden’s accession due to alleged security concerns.
However, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself gave the most important sign of a possible breakthrough. In key positions, his new cabinet is much more pragmatic than before. According to Glos, this political change could make approval of Sweden’s accession more likely.
Because many of the new ministers have already established close contacts with Western countries in the past, says Glos. “It can be a sign of Erdogan’s intention to improve Turkey’s relations with the West.”
Pressure is mounting on Turkey to ratify Sweden’s bid for membership before the alliance’s summit in mid-July. Next week, NATO will begin one of its largest military exercises – at the same time as the next round of talks between Turkey and Sweden.
Sweden meets Türkiye’s condition
Sweden had previously passed a new anti-terror law. The Supreme Court in Sweden had also approved the extradition of a supporter of the terrorist group PKK to Turkey. This emerges from a decision that the court made available to the German Press Agency on Wednesday.
In the dispute over Sweden’s admission to NATO, the country has met all of Turkey’s requirements, according to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
(Photo: Reuters)
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he agreed with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Sweden had done “everything possible” to address Turkey’s security concerns.
The United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, for example, urged the new Turkish foreign minister, former intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, not to lose sight of Sweden’s NATO membership.
“Missing the goal of joining NATO shows people like Russian President Vladimir Putin that there is a weak link in the Western alliance,” a NATO diplomat told CNN.
This does not only refer to the war in Ukraine or possible cyber attacks that are associated with Russia. The burning of the Koran in Sweden’s capital Stockholm in March is also rumored to have been initiated by Russian agitators. Erdogan reacted to this with criticism.
Paul Levin, director of the Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University, told Al-Monitor news portal that now is a good time for Erdogan to show his pragmatism. “Turkey has a new cabinet, no elections are scheduled and there is little risk of appearing weak in its anti-terrorism stance in front of voters.”
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Former Turkish NATO ambassador Fatih Ceylan stressed that Turkey could continue to press its security concerns once Sweden is part of the military alliance. NATO does not have a list of terrorist organizations like the European Union does. However, the Alliance’s treaties contain numerous provisions and methods of counter-terrorism cooperation.
Türkiye sends NATO soldiers to Kosovo
For its part, Turkey showed at the weekend that it still feels connected to the NATO alliance. On Sunday, Stoltenberg thanked Erdogan for Ankara’s decision to send a 500-strong commando battalion to Kosovo, where at least 30 NATO soldiers were injured following recent violent unrest.
Reinforcement of the NATO protection force reaches Kosovo
Turkey’s Defense Ministry released a video on Sunday showing troops arriving in Kosovo wearing the Kosovo Force (KFOR) logo.
“Turkey is not critical of NATO,” emphasizes Glos, referring both to the promise to send more soldiers to Kosovo and to talks with political decision-makers in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Turkey itself needs the alliance for its security. He believes that Sweden and Turkey have had different views on internal security, also due to different experiences with terrorist groups and series of attacks. “Both sides needed time to trust each other more.” Both sides have now taken concrete steps.
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