Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that he “is waiting for the European Union to open a way for Ankara to obtain full membership so that it can pave the way for Sweden’s accession to NATO.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that he would support Sweden’s membership in NATO, on the condition that the European Union re-launch negotiations for his country’s accession to the bloc.
Erdogan said in televised remarks before leaving to participate in the NATO summit in Lithuania: “First, open the way for Turkey’s membership in the European Union, then we open it for Sweden, just as we opened the way for Finland.”
He indicated that he “will hold a tripartite meeting with the Secretary General of NATO and the Swedish Prime Minister,” adding that he “supports NATO’s open-door policy.”
He added, “He will inform the leaders at the NATO summit of his expectations regarding his country’s accession to full membership of the European Union.”
He also pointed out that “ending the Russian-Ukrainian war will facilitate Kiev’s accession to NATO.”
Western officials, and the United States in particular, pressed Ankara to give the green light, stressing that Sweden had fulfilled the terms of an agreement reached with Turkey last year. This agreement includes a commitment to implement a security campaign against Kurdish opposition groups.
However, Turkey confirmed that it would not submit to pressure to support Sweden’s accession to NATO, noting that it was still assessing whether the accession of the Scandinavian country would benefit or harm NATO.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: “In terms of strategy and security, when we discuss Sweden’s membership in NATO, it is a matter of whether it will bring benefits or be a burden.”
In turn, US President Joe Biden announced, earlier, that he was “impatiently” looking forward to Sweden’s accession to NATO, affirming his full support for the Scandinavian country’s membership in the Western military alliance.
Also read: Will burning a copy of the Qur’an affect Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s entry into NATO?
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2023-07-10 11:08:22
