The NATO talks were clouded by the latest friction between Turkey and Sweden
Talks between Turkey and Sweden over Stockholm’s bid to join NATO appear to have produced little sign of progress as Ankara called out the Swedish ambassador in Ankara for “shameful” comments about the Turkish president on Swedish state TV.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry today summoned Swedish Ambassador Staffan Herrström to convey Ankara’s “strong condemnation” of comments about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aired in a satirical program, state news agency Anadolu reported, citing diplomatic sources.
The ambassador was told that “insolent and shameful comments and images” broadcast on SVT-tv were “unacceptable”.
The reprimand coincided with a Swedish delegation’s visit to Turkey today to discuss the demands Ankara made in exchange for supporting the Nordic country’s accession to NATO.
The Turkish Justice Ministry, which hosted the talks, said it has requested the extradition of people wanted by Ankara because of their alleged links to “terrorist groups”. The extraditions previously rejected by Swedish authorities have also been renewed, the ministry added in a statement.
The ministry has stopped short of releasing the total number of requests but cited the names of seven people wanted for their links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Sunni preacher whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt.
Sweden and Finland have abandoned their historic policy of neutrality and officially applied to join NATO following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey and Hungary are the only remaining countries among the 30 members that have yet to ratify the enlargement of the transatlantic alliance.
Ankara has asked both Nordic countries to address their national security concerns in exchange for Turkey’s support for their accession. But as Al-Monitor reported in May, Ankara’s real beef is with Sweden, home to many Turkish dissidents.
Turkey’s demands include the lifting of the de facto arms embargo and several extraditions. Speaking at a NATO summit in July, Erdogan said his country wants as many as 73 people from both countries.
Stockholm lifted the arms embargo last week. But its acquiescence to the extradition demands seems a dim prospect, as Sweden, one of the flagships of democracy, defines “terrorism” noticeably more narrowly than Turkey does.
Still, Ankara has noticeably toned down its rhetoric on the issue recently. Erdogan, who has repeatedly threatened to delay enlargement unless both countries meet his country’s demands, has remained silent in recent weeks.
The Turkish parliament returned from summer break on October 1 and is expected to sit for only a few months before going on another break to campaign for elections expected to be held in June 2023.
A Turkish ratification before the recess could accelerate Ankara’s bid to acquire new F-16s and modernization kits from the United States at a time when Turkey’s territorial disputes with Greece and Cyprus have further strained ties between Ankara and Washington. US President Joe Biden has previously pledged his support in securing congressional approval for the sale, but the process appears to be progressing at a rather slow pace.