Jul 10, 2023 at 9:31 PMUpdate: an hour ago
Turkey no longer opposes Sweden joining NATO. That says NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg on Monday evening. Turkey blocked Swedish membership for a long time.
Stoltenberg speaks of a “historic step”. According to NATO’s secretary general, Sweden has met all the requirements Turkey had set for accession, including strengthened anti-terrorism legislation.
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would only allow Sweden to become a NATO member if Turkey is allowed to join the European Union. The European Commission responded that it does not want to connect these things. Stoltenberg also dismissed that demand.
Now Erdogan is going to ask the Turkish parliament to approve membership for Sweden. It is unclear why Turkey now gives the green light. The news comes a day before the NATO summit, which starts on Tuesday in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (front left), NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (right). Photo: ANP
Hungary will in principle follow Turkey’s example
Turkey blocked Sweden’s accession for a long time because the Turkish government believes that Sweden is not acting hard enough against the Kurdish PKK and the Gulen movement. The PKK has been waging an armed insurgency against Turkey for 38 years and the Gülen movement was involved in a coup attempt in 2016, according to Ankara.
A new member must be approved by all NATO member states. Hungary is also opposed to Sweden’s accession, but that country has already announced that it will follow Turkey in an agreement from Ankara.
NATO is an alliance of countries that support each other politically and militarily and was founded just after World War II.
2023-07-10 20:48:31
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