The government expects Turkey to begin the process of approving Sweden as a NATO member in October. The hope is that it will go as quickly as for Finland – 13 days.
On Monday, Turkish President Erdogan created new uncertainty about Sweden’s NATO application. He regretted the Koran burnings and said that he does not know how long the parliament will need before it can approve Sweden.
Despite the outcome, the government expects Turkey to ratify the Swedish application this autumn. Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) takes note of the handshake between Sweden, Turkey and NATO at the NATO summit in Vilnius this summer. It wasn’t just a “handshake in the air”, emphasizes Billström.
– The handshake was something more than just a ceremony in front of the cameras. It was also a confirmation of the clear statement that had been negotiated during the Vilnius meeting, he says.
Had a conversation with Fidan
Among other things, Turkey is guaranteed that Sweden will expand its security dialogue with the country, as well as that Turkey will get a terrorism coordinator within NATO, something that has been important to the Turks according to Billström.
According to Billström, the Koran burnings linked to the NATO process did not come up in the conversations he had during the summer with his Turkish foreign minister colleague Hakan Fidan.
– But Turkey remains in previous positions and we therefore assume that ratification will begin in October.
He hopes that things will go smoothly after that.
– What we know from the spring process around Finland is that it took approximately 13 days. It is something like that that we see ahead of us, says Billström.
F16 deal hangs in the air
At the same time, he emphasizes that there are parallel processes going on that are important – the negotiations between Turkey, Greece and the United States regarding the sale of defense equipment. In Turkey’s case, the much talked about F16 plan.
– That’s why there was no ratification this summer because the negotiations are obviously not finished.
TT: Do those negotiations have to go through before Sweden can become a member?
– I cannot comment on that. That question can be asked of the USA, Greece and Turkey. Sweden has no part in such an affair.
– We assume that what has been said regarding us in relation to October will come true.
FACT Sweden’s path towards NATO
Sweden applied for membership in NATO, in parallel with Finland, on 18 May last year.
On July 5, 2022, Sweden and Finland received formal status as prospective members, “invitees” in English.
For Finland, the process ended in April this year when membership became completely clear after Hungary and Turkey became the last NATO countries to ratify the country’s application.
For Sweden, 29 out of 31 countries have ratified – Turkey and Hungary remain.
In connection with the NATO summit in Vilnius at the beginning of July, an agreement was concluded between Turkey, Sweden and NATO that Turkey will approve “as soon as possible”.
Hungary has said that an approval is only about “technicalities”.
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