Nato chief in push to overcome Turkish opposition to Finland, Sweden joining
- Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he had a ‘constructive phone call’ with the Turkish president, calling Türkiye a ‘valued ally’
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Türkiye to be terrorists
Stoltenberg, who visited Washington this week, tweeted late on Friday that he met with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin while there and discussed “the need to address Türkiye’s concerns and move forward” with the Finnish and Swedish membership applications.
Russia’s war in Ukraine pushed the Nordic countries to apply to join Nato, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Sweden and Finland of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Türkiye to be terrorists.
Stoltenberg said he had a “constructive phone call” with Erdogan, calling Türkiye a “valued ally” and praising Turkish efforts to broker a deal to ensure the safe transportation of grain supplies from Ukraine amid global food shortages caused by Russia’s invasion. Stoltenberg tweeted that he and Erdogan would continue their dialogue, without elaborating.
Erdogan’s office released a statement in which it said the president had emphasised that Sweden and Finland should “make it clear that they have stopped supporting terrorism,” have lifted defence export restrictions on Türkiye and are “ready to show alliance solidarity.”
‘Historic moment’: Finland, Sweden submit applications to join Nato
The Nordic states, among other countries, imposed limitations on arms sales in the wake of Turkey’s 2019 military incursion into northern Syria.
The Nato chief’s diplomatic efforts came before a gathering of senior officials from Sweden, Finland and Türkiye next week in Brussels, where Nato is based, to discuss Türkiye’s opposition to the applications.
The Turkish president’s spokesman said on Saturday that a Nato summit in Madrid at the end of June is not a deadline for a decision on Sweden and Finland’s membership bids.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu news agency during a visit to Madrid, Erdogan’s spokesman and chief foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin repeated that progress on the membership bids hinged on how Sweden and Finland respond to Turkish demands.
We don’t feel like we are under any time pressure like ‘let us get this done by the Nato summit’
“We don’t see ourselves in a time constraint like the Nato summit,” Kalin was cited as saying, adding that while the summit was important in addressing common issues like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and cooperation within the alliance, potential allies have to take steps to alleviate concerns of current members.
“We don’t feel like we are under any time pressure like ‘let us get this done by the Nato summit’. What is important here is that Sweden and Finland openly, clearly and concretely put forth what kind of steps they will take regarding counterterrorism,” he added.
Any bid to join Nato requires backing from each of its 30 members. Türkiye, which has been a Nato ally for over 70 years, has said it will not change its view unless the Nordic countries take “concrete steps” about its concerns.
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Earlier, Erdogan said Nato was not an organisation that could provide protection from terror, citing demonstrations and events organised by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group in allied countries like France, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece, whose envoy to Ankara was summoned over the issue on Friday.
He said Ankara would not “fall for the same mistake” while PKK members “roam free” in Finland and Sweden.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the United States and European Union.
