Turkey’s parliament has approved Sweden’s bid to join NATO, removing the last major obstacle to the Western bloc’s expansion after the move was delayed for 20 months, frustrating some of Ankara’s allies and extracting some concessions from them.

In May 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opposed requests from Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance. The two northern countries submitted their offers after the war in Ukraine.

Turkey approved Finland’s request to join the alliance in April 2023, but, together with Hungary, which is also a NATO member, suspended Sweden’s request. Hungary has not made any specific requests to Stockholm, but Turkey has asked Sweden to take further steps to eliminate those it considers terrorists.

Here’s a closer look at what Stockholm, Helsinki, Washington and other NATO countries have done to allay Ankara’s fears, representing what political analysts say are geopolitical victories won by Erdogan despite strained relations with the West.

What concessions have Sweden and Finland made?

• During an alliance meeting in Madrid in 2022, Turkey reached an agreement with Sweden and Finland under which the two countries agreed to lift the arms embargo on Ankara and take measures against members of the outlawed People’s Party workers from Kurdistan and the so-called Gulen separatist movement, which Ankara accuses of being responsible for a coup attempt in 2016.
• In 2022, Stockholm lifted a ban on the export of military equipment to Turkey, without disclosing details about companies or products.
• In June 2023, Sweden introduced a new anti-terrorism bill that states that joining any terrorist organization is illegal, saying that by doing so it has fulfilled its side of the bargain.
• Later last year, a Swedish high court blocked the extradition of two Turks who Ankara says are Gulen supporters. An appeals court also upheld the conviction of a man for trying to finance the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which the European Union and the United States classify as a terrorist group.
• Responding to criticism leveled at Stockholm by Turkey and other Muslim-majority countries, Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömer said his country was considering changing a law to prevent people from burning copies of the Koran in public places .
• Finland, for its part, has agreed in 2022 to consider granting permits for arms exports to Turkey on a case-by-case basis. After waiting almost a year, Ankara said it had accepted Helsinki’s membership in the alliance.

What did the other NATO member states do?

• When Erdogan declared at an alliance conference in July last year that Sweden would finally get the green light to join the military alliance, NATO member Canada also agreed to resume talks with Turkey to lift the restrictions on the export of drone parts, including optical equipment.
• The Netherlands also lifted restrictions on arms shipments to Turkey.
• After a meeting between Turkish and Swedish leaders last July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the alliance will appoint a special coordinator for counter-terrorism. In October, the alliance announced the appointment of Deputy Secretary General Thomas Govoss to this position.

Sending American F-16 fighters to Ankara

One of the issues that hampered the talks was Washington’s approval of Ankara’s request to buy F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernization kits for its older planes worth $20 billion.

A day after Erdogan gave Sweden the green light to join NATO last July, the White House said it would proceed with the transfer of F-16 jets to Turkey in consultation with Congress.

Erdogan sent Sweden’s request to join the alliance to the Turkish parliament for discussion last October, but has said publicly that ratifying the request would ultimately depend on obtaining F-16 planes.

Ankara has applied to purchase F-16 aircraft in 2021, but has faced objections from Congress due to the delay in expanding the military alliance and its human rights record. Since then Ankara has raised the possibility of purchasing Eurofighter planes instead.

What is the current status of Sweden’s request?

Within a few days Erdogan is expected to sign the parliament’s decision, transforming it into law. Subsequently, Turkey will deliver to Washington the final document certifying its ratification according to NATO rules.

Although Turkey has been the main obstacle, Hungary has not yet ratified Sweden’s request either. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he had invited the Swedish prime minister to visit Budapest and negotiate his country’s membership of the alliance.

Hungary has pledged not to be the last country to ratify the request, but its parliament will be in recess until around mid-February.

2024-01-24 02:01:14
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