Erdogan ties Sweden’s NATO membership to Turkey’s EU accession – National | 24CA News
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned Monday that his nation would possibly approve Sweden’s membership in NATO if European Union nations “open the way” to Turkey’s bid to affix the EU.
Erdogan publicly linked Sweden’s membership within the Western army alliance and his nation’s long-stalled software to develop into a part of the EU for the primary time earlier than departing Ankara for a NATO summit that begins Tuesday in Lithuania’s capital.
He advised U.S. President Joe Biden throughout a phone name Sunday that Turkey needed a “clear and strong” message of assist for Turkey’s EU ambitions from the NATO leaders assembly in Vilnius, in accordance with his workplace. The White House readout of the Biden-Erdogan name didn’t point out the difficulty of Turkish membership within the EU.
“Turkey has been waiting at the door of the European Union for over 50 years now, and almost all of the NATO member countries are now members of the European Union,” Erdogan mentioned Monday. “I am making this call to these countries that have kept Turkey waiting at the gates of the European Union for more than 50 years.”
“Come and open the way for Turkey’s membership in the European Union. When you pave the way for Turkey, we’ll pave the way for Sweden as we did for Finland,” he added.
Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have been anticipated to fulfill later Monday in Vilnius.
Asked about Erdogan’s feedback, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg mentioned he helps Turkey’s ambition to affix the EU however famous that it wasn’t among the many circumstances listed in an settlement that Sweden, Finland and Turkey signed ultimately 12 months’s NATO summit in Madrid.
Stoltenberg reiterated that Sweden had met these circumstances and mentioned he thinks it’s “still possible to have a positive decision” on the nation’s pending membership throughout this week’s summit in Lithuania.
Turkey is a candidate to affix the EU, however democratic backsliding throughout Erdogan’s presidency, disputes with EU-member Cyprus and different points have held up the nation’s progress towards admission within the 27-nation bloc.
However, as a member of NATO, Erdogan’s authorities has postponed ratifying Sweden’s NATO accession, saying the administration in Stockholm must do extra to crack down on Kurdish militants and different teams that Ankara considers as threats to its nationwide safety.
Anti-Turkey and anti-Islam protests in Sweden’s capital raised doubts that an settlement to fulfill Turkey’s calls for might be reached earlier than the alliance’s summit.
Earlier Monday, Sweden’s overseas minister expressed optimism that Turkey would drop its objections and mentioned the Nordic’s nation’s accession was a query of when, not if.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström advised public broadcaster SVT that he anticipated Turkey to sign ultimately that it’s prepared for Sweden to affix the 31-nation army alliance, although he couldn’t say whether or not that will occur on the annual summit.
“What we are counting on, of course, is to reach a point where we get a message back from President Erdogan that there will be what you might call a green light(,) … a message that the ratification process in the Turkish Parliament can start,” Billström mentioned.
Erdogan on Monday repeated that Turkey anticipated Sweden to satisfy its pledge to crackdown on teams that Ankara considers to be terrorists.
“We are tired of repeatedly saying that (Sweden) needs to fight terrorist organizations and their extensions indiscriminately,” Erdogan mentioned.
Billström mentioned Sweden has fulfilled its a part of the take care of Finland and Turkey.
“We should consider it as a settled question in the sense that it is not a question of if. In connection with the NATO summit in Madrid last year, Turkey already gave Sweden status as an invitee to NATO. It is therefore a question of when,” he mentioned.
Billström mentioned he anticipated Hungary, which additionally hasn’t ratified Sweden’s accession, to take action earlier than Turkey.
Previously non-aligned Sweden and Finland utilized for NATO membership final 12 months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined in April following Turkish ratification.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
