Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday expressed his displeasure at Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO, at the risk of hindering the whole process that requires the unity of Atlantic Alliance members.
We have no positive reviewssaid Mr. Erdogan, saying he did not want to be seen to repeat the same mistake made when Greece joineda neighbor with whom Turkey has had a complex relationship historically.
The Turkish head of state has notably criticized these two Nordic countries for serving ashostel for PKK terroriststhe Kurdistan Workers ’Party, which is considered Ankara’s terrorist organization, but also by the European Union and the United States.
These declarations are slowing down a process supported until now by most members ofNATO and its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, who said he was ready to receive them with open arms.
When the decision is made by a third country to join, the States belonging to the Alliance must unite to agree to invite it to join them.
Sweden and Finland have simultaneously signaled that they want to continue discussing the situation in Turkey, at this weekend’s meeting of foreign ministers of members of theNATO in Berlin.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told AFP she would have opportunity to communicate during this meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who confirmed his participation.
United States in favor of membership
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden spoke on Friday for just over half an hour with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Washington announced.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki reiterated on Thursday that the United States will support membership applications from Sweden and Finland.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe, Karen Donfried, for her part confirmed on Friday that there is strong support the entry of these two Nordic countries into the Alliance and that the necessary will be made to clarify the position of Turkey on the subject.
Helsinki has expressed its confidence in Turkish support: after speaking in early April with Mr Erdogan, his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinistö, estimated on Twitter that Turkey supported Finland’s goals.
The Finnish candidacy, defended by the president and prime minister, is due to be formalized in tandem with the chief executive on Sunday, after a meeting of a government council.
On Friday, an official Swedish report paved the way for Sweden’s accession to NATO, multiplying favorable conclusions ahead of the decision by this country and its Finnish neighbor in the following days.
Moscow had earlier condemned a decision already certainly will be a threat against Russia and there will be consequences […] for European security architecture as a whole.
Even before Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine, Turkey did everything to maintain good relations with the two countries, on which its economy is closely dependent and although it provides combat drones to kyiv.
It even hosted talks between the two rivals twice in March, in Antalya (south), then in Istanbul.
Has the image of Turkey been damaged?
For Soner Cagaptay, an analyst from the Washington Institute who contacted the AFP, Turkey’s attitude towards Sweden and Finland risk to show it withinNATO as a pro-Russian country, like Hungary in Europe.
His reasons may be legitimate, but threaten to tarnish his image withinNATOhe added, already judging these objections should be discussed behind closed doors.
For others, Turkey seeks mainly to enjoy a tactical advantage.
President Erdogan was a smart tactic and he knew it was an opportunity to get recompense from members of theNATO […] F-35 fighter jets, for exampletold AFP Elisabeth Braw, of the American Enterprise Institute.
After decades outside military alliances, Sweden and Finland, both not aligned, are ready to formally announce their candidacy for Atlantic Alliance membership, a direct result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
According to the latest polls, half of the approximately 10 million Swedes are now in favor of joining the alliance, two-thirds if the Finns also join.
And in Finland, which has a 1,300 -kilometer border with Russia, more than three -quarters of its 5.5 million inhabitants want to join the umbrella ofNATO.
Source: Radio-Canada
