Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has tied Sweden’s NATO membership bid to two conditions. Firstly, he stated that Turkey would not approve Sweden’s NATO membership unless Sweden lifts its arms embargo on Turkey. Secondly, Erdoğan demanded the extradition of Kurdish militants who are wanted by Ankara. These comments were made in a speech on July 10, 2023.
Erdoğan further emphasized that for Sweden’s NATO membership to be considered, Turkey’s EU accession process should be reopened. It is important to note that Turkey’s bid to join the EU has been frozen for several years, following the initiation of membership talks in 2005 during Erdoğan’s first term as prime minister.
These statements from Erdoğan have received criticism from Sweden and the European Union. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson firmly stated that her country would not engage in negotiations with Turkey regarding its NATO membership. Additionally, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell emphasized that the EU’s accession process with Turkey is not connected to the issue of NATO membership.
The outcome of Erdoğan’s threat to veto Sweden’s NATO membership remains uncertain. Nevertheless, his remarks have cast a shadow of doubt over Sweden’s aspirations to join the alliance.
Here are some additional details about the situation:
- Turkey is a member of NATO, but it has been critical of Sweden and Finland’s decision to apply for membership.
- Turkey has accused Sweden and Finland of harboring Kurdish militants who are wanted by Ankara.
- Sweden and Finland have said that they are willing to discuss the issue of Kurdish militants with Turkey, but they have not agreed to extradite any individuals.
- The NATO summit is scheduled to take place in Madrid on June 29-30, 2023. It is unclear whether Sweden and Finland will be able to join NATO before the summit.
Europe’s Leadership in Regulating AI: Data Protection, Risk Mitigation, and Strong Frameworks
