“The alliance has no alternatives”: how Turkey continues to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO

Turkey will not change its position on the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO as long as these countries do not fulfill the requirements put forward by Ankara regarding the fight against terrorism.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outlined this position in an article for The Economist.

“Turkey wants the candidate countries to stop the activities of all terrorist organizations (on their territories. -

) and extradite their members.

We provided clear evidence to the authorities of these countries and waited for them to act.

Turkey also wants these states to support anti-terrorist operations conducted by NATO members.

Terrorism poses a threat to all members of the alliance, and before joining it, candidate countries must recognize this reality.

Until they take the necessary steps, Turkey will not change its position on this issue,” Erdogan stressed.

According to him, Ankara continues to insist that the admission of Sweden and Finland to the North Atlantic Alliance is fraught with risks both for Turkey's security and for the future of the entire organization.

At the same time, Erdogan said that partners who remember Turkey only in crisis situations make erroneous judgments that long-term stability can be achieved without Ankara's participation.

In addition to the fact that Finland and Sweden do not interfere with the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, the Turkish authorities consider this organization a terrorist organization) on their territory, Stockholm has imposed an arms export embargo against Turkey, Erdogan recalled.

All this does not correspond to the spirit of military partnership between countries under the auspices of NATO, the politician stressed.

“The unwavering desire shown by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance has turned into an unnecessary item on the NATO agenda,” the Turkish president stressed.

Conflict of interests

Recall that Finland and Sweden announced their intention to join NATO against the backdrop of a special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

Applications for joining the alliance between Helsinki and Stockholm were submitted on 18 May.

However, Turkey opposed the admission of these countries to the military bloc.

The fundamental issue for Ankara is the support of the PKK, which, according to the Turkish side, is carried out by Finland and Sweden.

Shortly after filing the applications, Erdogan said that Turkey had conveyed to its partners a fundamental disagreement with the membership of Stockholm and Helsinki in the alliance and would resolutely pursue its policy in the same vein.

Later, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that Ankara wants to receive written guarantees from the candidate countries to resolve the contradictions that have arisen.

He confirmed that we are talking about the support by Finland and Sweden of organizations recognized as terrorist in Turkey, as well as the lifting of the arms embargo.

After the Finnish and Swedish delegations last week took part in negotiations on this issue in Ankara, the chief adviser to the Turkish president, Ibrahim Kalin, said that the accession of these countries to NATO is impossible without meeting Turkey's demands.

He added that this position was conveyed to the representatives of Stockholm and Helsinki.

In turn, Erdogan, commenting on the negotiations with the delegations of Sweden and Finland, called them unsatisfactory and reproached these countries for insincerity.

In addition, the politician assured that while he holds the presidency, Ankara will not allow countries that support terrorism to join NATO.

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

• AP

• © Kenzo Tribouillard

Sweden denied the allegations made by Turkey.

Kingdom Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that Stockholm recognized the PKK as a terrorist organization back in 1984.

However, the head of the public relations department of the Turkish presidential administration, Fahrettin Altun, in response accused her of disinformation.

“Sweden is making no effort to stop the ongoing (on its territory. -

) propaganda, fundraising and recruitment of the PKK.

In addition, Sweden armed terrorists who, among other attacks, staged suicide bombings in Turkey,” Altun said on Twitter.

Principled position

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted that Finland and Sweden are unlikely to become candidates for joining the bloc if they do not comply with Turkey's demands.

“When an ally points out a problem, it must be solved.

This has always been done, ”the functionary emphasized.

He recalled the disagreements between Greece and North Macedonia, because of which Athens had been vetoing the latter's accession to NATO for more than a decade.

Commenting on the situation, Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, in an interview with RT, noted that Ankara takes a consistent position towards Sweden and Finland and will continue to adhere to it.

“Turkey demands that Sweden and Finland close the PKK offices and have no political contacts with it.

This requirement, according to Erdogan, is quite logical.

Naturally, Sweden and Finland do not want to obey him, as this is politically humiliating, ”the expert emphasized.

At the same time, he believes that Turkey wants to show and remind its European allies that it is one of the leading forces in the military bloc.

“If NATO cannot do without Turkey now, it is natural that Ankara will set conditions for it.

The alliance has no alternatives on its southern flank, so it is forced to listen to the opinion of Turkey.

So these requirements of Sweden and Finland will have to be fulfilled, possibly subject to receiving some kind of tacit compensation from the United States, ”the political scientist noted.

Another fundamental issue for the Erdogan administration is the support of Fethullah Gülen's Hizmet organization by other countries, political scientist Alexander Asafov emphasized.

Recall that Erdogan accused Gülen and his supporters of organizing the failed coup in 2016.

The political scientist added that by making demands on Stockholm and Helsinki, the Turkish leader is strengthening his position both in NATO and within the country.

“Considering that new elections await Erdogan and his party in a year, any issues related to the Kurds and Gülenists are fundamental for him.

He cannot close his eyes to the fact that, in particular, there are politicians in the Swedish parliament who openly support the PKK and promote anti-Turkish positions that led to an embargo (on arms exports. -

) from Europe, ”explained RT interlocutor.

In his opinion, Erdogan understands how important it is for NATO to include Finland and Sweden in its ranks, and therefore raises the stakes.

“The urgency of NATO expansion is primarily due to the anti-Russian context.

Erdogan understands how important it is for the alliance to consolidate the membership of Stockholm and Helsinki at least at the level of applications before the summer summit in Madrid.

Therefore, he expects that before the NATO summit, his conditions will be accepted in one form or another.

However, whether they will be implemented is a big question, given Ankara's full list of demands, which includes the extradition of individuals.

Now any options for the development of the situation are possible, ”concluded the political scientist.