Sweden is taking “important steps” to meet Turkey’s demands: NATO chief
Sweden has confirmed its “readiness” and is taking important steps to meet Turkey’s demands to approve Stockholm’s NATO membership application, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday.
After decades of military alliance freedom, Russia’s war in Ukraine forced Sweden and Finland to apply to join the Western Defense Alliance in May. But they have faced opposition from Turkey, which has vetoed their entry into the alliance, citing their support for terrorist groups, including the PKK and its Syrian branch, the YPG.
At a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Stoltenberg said he was “pleased” that the Swedish government has reaffirmed its “readiness to address Turkey’s concerns as part of taking on the responsibilities of future NATO membership.”
He suggested that progress had been made in the battle, stressing that NATO was working “hard and actively” with Stockholm and Ankara to resolve Turkey’s concerns “as soon as possible.”
Stoltenberg said that Sweden shows compromises on two points.
“I welcome the fact that Sweden has already begun to change its counter-terrorism legislation and that Sweden will ensure that the legal framework for arms exports will reflect the future status of NATO members with new commitments to allies,” he said during a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena. Andersson.
“These are two important steps to address the concerns that Turkey has raised.”
While the two Nordic countries have said that talks would continue to resolve the dispute, Ankara said they had not received any response to their demands, including stopping support for groups that Turkey considers terrorists, lifting arms embargoes against Ankara and extraditing suspects. searching.
Each offer to join NATO requires the support of each of its 30 members. Turkey, which has been a NATO ally for more than 70 years, has said it will not change its view unless the Nordic countries take “concrete steps” regarding their concerns.
Andersson, for his part, said that Sweden takes Turkish fears “very seriously, not least the security problems when it comes to the fight against terrorism.”
She said that Sweden had changed its terrorism laws in recent years and was in the process of tightening further.
“From 1 July, we will also have even stronger legislation regarding the fight against terrorism. So here there are no questions about how strongly Sweden views (on) terrorism and that we are willing to contribute in the fight against terrorism, Andersson says.
Sweden and Finland had imposed arms export embargoes on Turkey following its military operation to clear northern Syria east of the YPG’s Euphrates 2019.
Andersson also said that Sweden’s independent arms export agency would be prepared to review its policy once the country is a NATO member.
Stoltenberg also said that the purpose was for Sweden and Finland to join NATO “as soon as possible” and that it was inconceivable that NATO allies would not come to Sweden’s defense if attacked.
He had previously said that Sweden and Finland would be welcomed into NATO “with open arms” and expected the Turkey issue to be resolved before a NATO summit to begin in Madrid on 28 June.
But when he spoke in Finland on Sunday, he suggested that the dispute could be extended and said that “the Madrid summit was never a deadline.”