Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that NATO should not bet on his country approving Sweden’s application to join the Western military alliance before a July summit. Sweden and Finland applied for membership together following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April, but Turkey says Sweden hasn't fully addressed its security concerns. NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time the leaders of member nations meet in Lithuania’s capital on July 11-12. Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying that Turkey’s attitude to Sweden's accession wasn't “positive.” Senior officials from NATO, Sweden, Finland and Turkey met in Ankara on Wednesday.

Turkey’s government accuses Sweden of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt.

A series of separate demonstrations in Stockholm, including a protest by an anti-Islam activist who burned the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy, also angered Turkish officials.

NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary are the only countries that have not yet ratified Sweden’s request to join.

  • snaggen@programming.devEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    Unfortunately Turkey controls the Bosporus Strait which connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea (and the rest of the world). This makes the quite an important player since a large part of the Russian Navy is located in the Black Sea. Turkey is well aware of this of course, and know exactly how they can use this as a leverage against NATO.