Finland and Sweden this Wednesday (18) formalized their applications to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to block these integrations.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the initiative as a “historic moment” at a brief ceremony in Brussels in the presence of Finnish and Swedish representatives. Applications must be approved by 30 members of the alliance, which can take up to a year. The biggest obstacle is Turkey, which is against two Scandinavian countries openly joining the organization.
Turkey demonstrates its veto power to the candidacy of the Stockholm and Helsinki governments, with negotiation tactics rather than rigid opposition. The Turkish president publicly says he will vote “no” for Sweden and Finland to join the military bloc for security reasons. But with this message, Erdogan is signaling that he has interests in negotiating with the United States and the European Union.
To end the sanctions against the purchase of weapons
Erdogan accuses the two northern countries of harboring terrorist organizations, citing members of the Kurdish separatist party PKK. Beginning in the 1980s, these countries received Kurdish political refugees. More recently, in 2019, Sweden, with the support of the United States, supported the PKK’s armed wing in Syria to fight against ISIS, causing Turkey to stretch its ties with Washington and summon its ambassador to Sweden. beginning of last year.
Officials from Sweden and Finland are planning a visit to Ankara in the coming days to discuss NATO applications. But the Turkish president explained that it is better not to waste time, as he asks for guarantees in advance. In addition to demanding the extradition of some Kurds to stand trial in Ankara, a request that has already been denied by the Swedish authorities, the Turkish government is also seeking a return to arms exports that have been blocked since the conflict in Syria. For this, it is important to end the military embargo and also to make new agreements for the purchase of American weapons. In 2020, the White House imposed sanctions on the Turkish defense industry in retaliation for its purchase of a Russian anti-missile system.
Mediation in the war between Russia and Ukraine
Turkey is positioned somewhat on this side and somewhat on the other side of the current conflict in Ukraine. Between the lines, he is now seeking support from the United States and the European Union. After the military alliance with the West was shaken in recent years, Turkey was excluded from the US F-35 fighter jet program. Just when the Turkish Army decided to buy Russian weapons. Now the Ankara government is waiting for congressional approval to purchase F-16 attack jets from Washington.
In line with the West, Erdogan has supported Ukraine by sending weapons, especially lethal drones. However, it is undeniable that he supported Russia, for example, by refusing to approve sanctions against Moscow, along with the Westerners in NATO.
In this new episode of Sweden and Finland’s candidacy, Erdogan addresses the President of Russia. Saying little about possible new members of the bloc, Vladimir Putin was formed in 1949 to stop the Soviet expansion in Europe. Putin spoke only to say that military expansion into neighboring regions would certainly have an answer. Finland shares a 1,350 kilometer land border with Russia.
External rhetoric to gain internal popularity
Erdogan’s public speeches are often accompanied by two themes: internal security and external threat. Inflation in Turkey reached 70% in April, largely due to Erdogan’s refusal to raise interest rates for years while depleting his foreign exchange reserves. The country has been affected by the global rise in energy and core goods costs. Fuel and agricultural commodity prices also rose due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Parallel to this, the war increased the importance of Turkey, which is located between the West and the East, on the international scene. In the conflict, Erdogan plays the mediator role and blocked votes against Putin, while restricting the Russian military from using Turkish waters and airspace.
The Turkish president hopes to secure his waning popularity in two decades in power. In his statements, he categorically praises the divine source of nationalist rhetoric a year before the presidential elections.
source: Noticias
