Türkiye-Sweden talks about NATO’s bid canceled: FM Billstrom
The discussions between Turkey and Sweden about NATO membership have been interrupted, said Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström on Saturday.
Finland said this week for the first time that it must consider joining NATO without Sweden, whose bid appeared stalled when Ankara bombed Stockholm over anti-Türkiye and anti-Islam protests.
Finland – which shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia – and Sweden applied to join NATO last year after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, ending a decades-long policy of military non-alignment.
Türkiye has often expressed that it does not oppose NATO expansion, but rather criticizes Stockholm for not taking action against elements that pose a security threat to Ankara.
Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.
But recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist supporters and Islamophobic people in Stockholm have caused Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to taking the necessary steps to gain NATO membership.
Ankara has long criticized Stockholm for harboring members of various terrorist organizations, particularly members of the PKK and, in recent years, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) – the organization behind the defeated 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye.
Ahead of a historic NATO summit, the three countries signed a trilateral agreement in June that prevented a Turkish veto. In the memorandum, the Nordic countries said they would address Turkey’s extradition requests for terrorists. In addition, the joint directive states that Finland and Sweden “will not provide support to the organization described as FETÖ” and terrorist groups.