A solution between Sweden, Finland and Turkey is not to be expected at the NATO summit in Madrid, according to a NATO researcher at the Swedish National Defense College.
– No, I do not think so, says senior lecturer Magnus Christiansson to TT.
Since the two Nordic countries applied for membership in the defense alliance on 18 May, Turkey has refused to open accession negotiations.
The stumbling blocks were raised when Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (S) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a press conference after their meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Monday. It concerns Turkey’s views on counter-terrorism, arms exports and the deportation of people it considers to be linked to Kurdish terrorism.
“A little embarrassing”
The NATO summit begins on Tuesday in the Spanish capital. In connection with this, the leaders of Sweden, Finland and Turkey take the opportunity to come face to face to try to reach a consensus.
– I think this is a bit embarrassing for NATO. It would be a blunder in the minutes for Jens Stoltenberg if this continues. NATO has an open door policy and should it turn out that stable and well-functioning democracies such as Finland and Sweden cannot become members, then the question arises as to whether the open door policy really works, says Magnus Christiansson.
There are nuances
TT: Has there been any change in the signals from Turkey lately?
– I think there are two different shades. One is from the presidential administration and (President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan who is very tough and principled. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the career diplomats, there are a few other nuances with a more constructive tone. Those who have daily contacts with Brussels are closer to an opening, I think.
– But there are many bottoms in this and it is very difficult to assess, concludes Magnus Christiansson.
Facts
The program in Madrid
The heads of state and government of NATO countries will hold a summit in Madrid on 28-30 June. Here are parts of the program:
June 28:
20.30: Gala dinner with King Felipe VI as host.
June 29:
10.30: Introductory meeting for the leaders of the 30 NATO countries.
15: Continued meeting with participants from partner countries.
6.30 pm: Informal working dinners for the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Ministers.
19: Informal “transatlantic dinner” for the Heads of State and Government.
June 30th:
10 am: Closing meeting.
12.15: Closing press conference with Jens Stoltenberg.
Source: NATO.
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NATO spends so much on defense
At present, nine of NATO’s 30 member countries meet the target of spending at least the equivalent of two percent of their GDP on defense. This is the situation right now, with preliminary figures for 2022:
Greece: 3.76
USA: 3.47
Poland: 2.42
Lithuania: 2.36
Estonia: 2.34
United Kingdom: 2.12
Latvia: 2.10
Croatia: 2.03
Slovakia: 2.00
Romania: 1.99
France: 1.90
Northern Macedonia: 1.78
Montenegro: 1.75
Bulgaria: 1.67
Netherlands: 1.65
Albania: 1.62
Norway: 1.55
Hungary: 1.55
Italy: 1.54
Germany: 1.44
Portugal: 1.44
Denmark: 1.39
Czech Republic: 1.33
Canada: 1.27
Turkey: 1.22
Slovenia: 1.22
Belgium: 1.18
Spain: 1.01
Luxembourg: 0.58
Footnote: Iceland is also part of NATO, but has no defense of its own.
Source: NATO
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