Experts believe that Turkey will demand several concessions to change its position, but will eventually end up supporting Finland’s and Sweden’s applications for NATO membership.
18.5. 20:29 • Updated May 18 20:42
Turkey has started to slow down the processing of applications for NATO membership from Finland and Sweden. Various media reports that the NATO Council was unable to begin processing applications from Finland and Sweden on Wednesday because Turkey blocked it.
New York Times (switch to another service) Referring to diplomatic sources, the magazine says that Turkey arrived at the meeting of NATO ambassadors with a list of requirements that must be met before Finland and Sweden can join NATO. The list is said to have mainly concerned members of the Kurdish organizations defined by Turkey as terrorists, the YPG and the PKK, and their alleged protection in Finland and Sweden.
The NATO countries were due to decide to open discussions on membership applications on the same day that Finland and Sweden submitted their applications, ie Wednesday.
Turkey targets as a condition for the continuation of the membership process
A Turkish source interviewed by the newspaper says that the country does not completely rule out the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, although it is now slowing down the application process.
– We want to reach an agreement. The sooner we reach an agreement, the sooner membership talks can begin, the source commented to the Financial Times.
News agency Reuters reported Wednesday night that the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğanin The representative has called the representatives of Finland, Sweden and other NATO countries and said that the membership process can only continue if Turkey’s security concerns are addressed.
Among other things, Turkey wants F16 fighters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused Finland and Sweden of “protecting terrorists” and said the countries could not be accepted as members of NATO.
However, the slowdown in Turkey is not seen as definitive, but is seen as a way to get other NATO countries to take its concerns for granted. According to experts interviewed by various media outlets, Erdoğan has now appeared to be raising his stakes, concluding that his cooperation is highly valued during this global crisis.
In order to change its NATO position, Turkey is now likely to demand concessions on a number of issues, including Sweden’s tightening stance on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and trade in F16 fighters, which Turkey has been trying to buy for months.