IRIA News

In a major development, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his support for Sweden’s application to join the NATO military alliance. The announcement came at  Vilnius, Lithuania, where the alliance leaders have gathered for the annual NATO Summit.

Turkey agreed to clear the way for Sweden to join NATO following a meeting between President Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on July 10, 2023. Turkey’s sudden reversal would strengthen alliance unity and expansion before a critical summit focused on preparing to repel Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This is a historic day” Stoltenberg said at a news conference. “I’m glad to announce … President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly as soon as possible and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification.”

Glad to announce that after the meeting I hosted with @RTErdogan & @SwedishPM, President Erdogan has agreed to forward #Sweden‘s accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly ASAP & ensure ratification. This is an historic step which makes all #NATO Allies stronger & safer. pic.twitter.com/D7OeR5Vgba

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) July 10, 2023

“This has been a good day for Sweden,” Prime Minister Kristersson said, adding that the joint statement represented “a very big step” toward the final ratification of Sweden’s membership of NATO.

Sweden abandoned more than 200 years of neutrality and military nonalignment, and applied for NATO membership along with Finland, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both required unanimous approval from all the NATO member states. Finland was fully accepted as a NATO member in April this year, however, Sweden’s application awaited approval from Hungary and Turkey.

After Turkey’s endorsement, Hungary also ratified Sweden’s NATO accession. “Our position is clear: the government supports Stockholm’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance”, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto  said.

Sweden’s NATO accession and counter-terrorism cooperation

Erdogan had objected to Sweden’s entry into the alliance over its alleged role in harboring terrorists and being lenient towards the organizations such as Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which have been declared terrorist groups by Turkey.

In return for the approval, Sweden agreed to work closely to address Turkiye’s legitimate security concerns. NATO said in its joint statement that “Sweden has amended its constitution, changed its laws, significantly expanded its counter-terrorism cooperation against the PKK, and resumed arms exports to Turkiye,” all mentioned in the 2022 Trilateral Memorandum. Both Ankara and Stockholm countries recognized that counter-terrorism cooperation requires long-term commitment, extending beyond Sweden’s accession to NATO.

NATO would also establish a new “special coordinator for counterterrorism”. Meanwhile, Sweden would help reinvigorate Turkey’s application to enter the European Union, including modernization of the EU-Turkiye Customs Union and visa liberalization.

Why Turkey changed its stance?

The announcement came as a surprise after Turkish President Erdogan had suggested that Sweden could only join the alliance after his country is accepted into the European Union (EU). However, the next day, Ankara approved the bid, paving the way for Stockholm to become the alliance’s 32nd member.

Hours after Ankara’s decision, the U.S. administration announced it will move forward with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in consultation with the United States Congress.

Speaking ahead of the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. President Joe Biden “had been clear that he supports the transfer”. Without sharing details, Sullivan said that Biden “has placed no caveats on this … He intends to move forward with that transfer”.

Turkey had requested to buy $20 billion in F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. However, the deal has been stalled since 2021. Turkey’s National Defense Minister Yasar Guler also discussed the F-16 issue with his United States counterpart Lloyd Austin on a phone call on Monday.

Analysts say that with the approval of Sweden’s membership of NATO, Turkish President Erdogan made progress on multiple fronts, including a tougher approach towards Kurdish fighters in Sweden, the removal of the de facto U.S. Congress veto on the sale of F-16s to Ankara, and raising the issue of Turkish visa-free travel within the EU.

Biden welcomes Sweden’s entry in NATO, thanks Turkey

U.S. President Biden, who fully supported Sweden’s NATO bid, welcomed the approval and said he looks forward to welcoming Sweden as the 32nd NATO ally. Biden, who arrived in Vilnius on Monday, also said he will work with Turkey “on enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. Biden held at least a 45-minute long call with Erdogan aboard Air Force One en route to London, United Kingdom, detailing the reasons Turkey should agree to let Sweden join the alliance. During a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Lithuania, President Biden told Erdogan: “Thank you for your diplomacy and your courage to take that on.” 

While Sweden’s NATO membership issue was collectively resolved, Ukraine’s similar aspirations may face a long path. NATO chief said Ukraine will receive a membership invitation when allies agree and conditions are met. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called his Western partners’ reluctance to give a clear timeline for NATO membership “unprecedented and absurd.” Reacting to the vague choice of words by NATO leaders, he said: “It seems that there is no willingness to invite Ukraine to NATO or make it a member of the Alliance.” Despite Ukraine’s longstanding desire for membership, NATO members have shown caution in initiating the accession process while Ukraine is actively engaged in a war with Russia.