Erdogan does not rule out backing Sweden's NATO bid

Erdogan does not rule out backing Sweden's NATO bid
by AFP Staff Writers
Istanbul (AFP) July 7, 2023

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday appeared to leave open the possibility of backing Sweden's NATO candidacy, saying Turkey would "make the best decision, whatever it is" at next week's alliance summit.

Erdogan's comments came hours before he was due to receive Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks focused on Russia's invasion and the US-led military bloc's expansion.

NATO member Turkey's resistance to accepting Sweden into the alliance has irritated Washington and Brussels, which argue that Stockholm has done enough to address Ankara's concerns.

Erdogan is blocking the candidacy because of a longstanding dispute about Stockholm's perceived lax attitude toward alleged Kurdish militants living in the Nordic country.

Erdogan on Friday reaffirmed his concerns, asking "how a country with terrorists on the streets... can contribute to NATO".

But he also did not rule out the possibility of giving his green light to Sweden's membership, which he will discuss with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday at NATO-organised talks.

"On Tuesday in the leadership summit to be held in Vilnius, we will be discussing (Turkey's concerns) with our partners. We will make the best decision, whatever it is," he said in televised remarks.

Swedish, Turkish leaders to hold NATO talks on Monday
Brussels (AFP) July 6, 2023 - The leaders of Turkey and Sweden will meet on the eve of a NATO summit next week to try and unblock Stockholm's stalled membership bid, alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.

The talks in Lithuania Monday are a last-ditch attempt to convince Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to drop his objections after over a year of delays before NATO leaders gather.

"It is absolutely possible to have a positive decision at the summit next week," Stoltenberg said after talks with Sweden and Turkey's foreign ministers at NATO's Brussels headquarters.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said he was hoping for a breakthrough but underscored it remained a "Turkish decision".

"We believe from our point of view we have fulfilled all our commitments," he said.

NATO allies have been pressuring Ankara for months to give way and let the Scandinavian nation in by the time of the two-day summit starting Tuesday in Vilnius.

Turkey and Sweden inked a deal aimed at clearing the path to accession at a NATO summit over a year ago.

Ankara has demanded a Swedish crackdown on Kurdish movements, such as the the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it says is a terrorist group.

Sweden says it has made good on the deal.

On Thursday it jailed a Turkish citizen for "attempted terrorist financing" for the PKK under new legislation.

But Erdogan has continued to criticise Stockholm, and a protest last week that saw pages of the Koran burnt further stoked his ire.

"Any further delay in Sweden's membership would be welcomed by the PKK and (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin," Stoltenberg said.

US President Joe Biden is expected to make a strong push for Sweden in the coming days.

Biden told Sweden's prime minister at a meeting in Washington on Wednesday that he was "anxiously looking forward" to the country joining.

Sweden and its neighbour Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied to join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Finland formally joined the bloc in April.

Hungary is also still holding out on Sweden's membership, which requires the unanimous approval of all 31 NATO members.

But Budapest has indicated it will give way if Turkey agrees.