Turkey opposes the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO

The head of state assured that he does not want “the repeat the same mistake that was committed with the accession of Greece”

The owner of the second largest army in the transatlantic alliance did not like the news coming from Scandinavia. Finland’s express plans and Sweden’s somewhat more discreet plans to join NATO have met with discontent from Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish President does not forgive both countries for having welcomed for years members of organizations that Ankara considers “terrorists”, especially the Kurdish-Turkish guerrilla PKK and the preacher’s brotherhood Fetullah Glen.

“We closely follow the events around Sweden and Finland, but we cannot see it positively,” Erdogan acknowledged to the media during an intervention this Friday in which, in addition, he attacked the US plans to lift sanctions against anyone who trades with a region in northern Syria controlled by the YPG, a sister militia of the PKK. “It is not possible for us to accept this mistake by the US,” he stressed.

The entry of new members into the Alliance requires the approval by consensus of the 30 member countries. This means that the Turkish opposition can hinder an eventual NATO enlargement process at a crucial moment. Although, as many experts emphasize, the military equipment of Finland and Sweden are designed to be practically interoperable in their entirety, if they are not part of NATO they would not be able to invoke its Article 5: “An attack against one is an attack against all”.

The Finnish Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, He has asked the parties involved for “patience” this Friday afternoon while the steps to be followed by his country after requesting entry are specified. It was his first response to Erdogan. Previously, in a joint appearance, the president and the prime minister had acknowledged their hope “that the national steps required to make this decision will be taken quickly in the coming days.”

Sweden bid

Erdogan’s words come the same day it was made public an official report in Sweden which gives clear signs that this country will join Finland on its way to accession to NATO. The candidacy of the Nordic country can materialize in a matter of days. Although it is not a formal recommendation, a report prepared by the Government together with all the political parties in Parliament is in favor of joining the Alliance. “Sweden’s membership in NATO would have a deterrent effect,” determines the 40-page dossier.

Sweden is currently covered by a clause that establishes the mutual aid for being a member of the European UnionHowever, the official report released this Friday indicates that as it is not a member of NATO, the country does not have clear “guarantees” of assistance in case of aggression. Hence, the document pronounces in favor of becoming a member state. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde put it this way: “Our view is that we would not suffer a conventional military attack in response to a possible NATO bid.”

Erdogan’s grievances

Under the threat of Russia, which this Thursday warned of possible retaliation for Finland’s willingness to join NATO, the Turkish leader has expressed years of reparations and political tensions: “We do not want similar mistakes to be repeated. In addition, the Scandinavian countries are practically shelters for terrorist organizations,” Erdogan insisted. “There are even supporters of terrorism in the parliaments of some countries. It is not possible for us to be in favor of it.”

In July 2020, Turkey protested the recording of a meeting between the Swedish foreign minister and people associated with the Syrian branch of the PKK. According to the semi-official Anadolu agency, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stressed that the incident “raises serious questions about Sweden’s stance on the fight against terrorism as a priority.” For years, the Swedes and Finns have been known to grant political asylum to people who have fled the Middle East.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that the Finns would be “warmly received” within the organization, and that their integration process would be “smooth and fast”. The Turkish posture can alter these calculations. Turkey has denounced Russian actions in Ukraine and continues to sell its effective drones to the Ukrainian army, but has so far refused to sanction Moscow. Instead, Ankara claims to be a reliable mediator to reach a peace agreement.