After a long process, it was clear on Tuesday evening that Turkey, Sweden and Finland had reached an agreement that would allow the application process for NATO membership to continue.
But it was not just the agreement that led Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the veto right now, according to Jenny White, Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Turkey Studies at Stockholm University.
– It was important, but that Erdogan got a call from US President Joe Biden a few days ago was probably crucial. That he can show that he has a dialogue and a personal contact with the American president is extremely important, she tells TT.
Wants to appear as a strong leader
Throughout his time in power, Erdogan has been concerned about relations with the United States and has had talks with former Presidents Obama and Trump. But current President Biden has not been in contact with him so far.
– There are presidential elections in Turkey soon and Erdogan has lost support. That he can take on the role of a strong leader with international relations is extremely important to him and a personal relationship with the President of the United States is important. The Turkish opposition has nothing to do with that, says Jenny White.
According to her, it is more important that Biden opened up to meet Erdogan in the future than the actual content of the conversation.
Vague wordings
She believes that the agreement formulated by Turkey, Sweden and Finland is just right, vague. It is clear, among other things, that Sweden will not support the Kurdish movements YPG and PYD or the Gülen movement. It could be interpreted as Sweden considering them as terrorist organizations, but it does not say so explicitly.
– I do not interpret it as meaning that Sweden needs to abandon some of its values or attitudes. It should not affect the humanitarian support that Sida provides to people living in regions where YPG and PYD are located.
– For Turkey, the most important thing is that the agreement recognizes the security threats they experience with the PKK, YPG and PYG. That the country is named with the new writing Türkiye in is an important signal, says Jenny White.
That Turkey released the veto right now, she believes, is due to Erdogan getting as much as he can out of the process before the irritation from the outside world becomes too great.
– Blocking Sweden’s NATO application, for example, has not led to Russia giving the go-ahead for Turkey to enter military forces in Syria. It’s a good time for him to take a step back, says Jenny White.