Ankara has expressed its dissatisfaction with Sweden’s progress in supporting its application to join NATO, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In a phone call with US President Joe Biden on Sunday, Erdoğan highlighted that while Sweden has made some changes in its anti-terrorism legislation, pro-Kurdish groups, including the banned PKK and YPG, continue to hold demonstrations in the country. This has led Erdoğan to believe that Sweden’s steps towards supporting Turkey’s NATO membership bid have been nullified.
The phone call took place ahead of a two-day summit of NATO leaders in Lithuania, which is set to begin on Tuesday. Biden has expressed his support for reaching a deal on Sweden’s application during the meeting in Vilnius.
Erdoğan’s administration has been blocking Sweden’s hopes of joining the defense alliance, accusing Stockholm of backing Kurdish separatism. However, Erdoğan has given the green light to Finland’s application, despite initially accusing the country of the same offense. Finland became a NATO member in April.
During the call, Erdoğan and Biden also discussed the potential sale of US F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Erdoğan emphasized that it is incorrect to associate Ankara’s request for F-16 aircraft with Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Additionally, Erdoğan raised Turkey’s desire to revive the EU membership process. He expressed his hope that EU member states would send a clear and strong message in support of Turkey’s EU bid at the NATO summit in Lithuania. However, Turkey’s EU membership talks have stalled over the past decade due to the country’s failure to meet the required reforms set by Brussels.
Erdoğan and Biden agreed to meet face-to-face in Vilnius to discuss Turkey-US bilateral relations and regional issues in detail.
What concerns did President Erdoğan raise during his phone call with President Biden regarding Sweden’s anti-terrorism legislation and pro-Kurdish demonstrations
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed his dissatisfaction with Sweden’s support for its NATO membership bid. He raised concerns during a phone call with US President Joe Biden, highlighting that although Sweden has made some changes in its anti-terrorism legislation, pro-Kurdish groups continue to hold demonstrations in the country. This has led Erdoğan to believe that Sweden’s steps towards supporting Turkey’s NATO membership bid have been nullified.
The phone call took place ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania, where the leaders are set to discuss various issues, including Sweden’s application. Biden has expressed his support for reaching a deal on Sweden’s NATO membership bid during the summit.
Erdoğan’s administration has been blocking Sweden’s hopes of joining the defense alliance, accusing Stockholm of backing Kurdish separatism. However, Erdoğan has given the green light to Finland’s application, despite initially accusing the country of the same offense. Finland became a NATO member in April.
During the call, Erdoğan and Biden also discussed the potential sale of US F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Erdoğan emphasized that the request for F-16 aircraft should not be associated with Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
Erdoğan also raised Turkey’s desire to revive the EU membership process. He expressed hope that EU member states would show their support for Turkey’s EU bid at the NATO summit. However, Turkey’s EU membership talks have stalled over the past decade due to the country’s failure to meet the required reforms set by Brussels.
Erdoğan and Biden agreed to meet face-to-face at the NATO summit to discuss Turkey-US bilateral relations and regional issues in detail.
It is essential that President Biden takes Turkish President’s warning seriously and assesses the potential ramifications of Sweden’s NATO membership bid. A thorough evaluation of the progress made by Sweden is crucial to ensure NATO’s stability and the collective security of its member countries.