Erdogan renews threat to block Swedish, Finnish Nato bids

Published October 2, 2022
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference at the Presidential Complex in Ankara where he announced the upcoming electoral timetable on April 18, 2018. — AFP/File
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference at the Presidential Complex in Ankara where he announced the upcoming electoral timetable on April 18, 2018. — AFP/File

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned Turkey would not ratify the Nato membership bids of Sweden and Finland until the two Nordic countries “kept” promises they had made to Ankara.

“Until the promises made to our country are kept, we will maintain our principled position,” Erdogan said in a speech to parliament in Ankara.

“We are closely following whether the promises made by Sweden and Finland are kept or not, and of course, the final decision will be up to our great parliament,” he added.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February saw the two Nordic countries abandon decades of military non-alignment and in May apply to join Nato.

Although the Nordic countries hoped for a speedy entry, Turkey delayed the process by objecting to their membership.

Erdogan has accused both countries of being havens for Kurdish militants, specifically highlighting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and for promoting “terrorism”. A deal was then struck between the three countries in June, which included provisions on extraditions and sharing of information, clearing the way for Nato to formally invite the two nations to join the alliance.

So far, 28 out of 30 Nato members have ratified Finland and Sweden’s membership.

Only Hungary and Turkey have yet to send the membership bids to their parliaments for ratification. In an apparently significant concession to Ankara, Sweden on Friday announced they had re-authorised exports of war materials to Turkey.

Ankara had requested the lifting of the restrictions, which were introduced in 2019 following a Turkish offensive in northeastern Syria.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Climate realities
Updated 13 Jun, 2025

Climate realities

Finance Minister says, "We are living climate change day in and day out”.
Minimum wages
Updated 13 Jun, 2025

Minimum wages

Foolish to expect toothless and corrupt provincial employees’ social security organisations to force wealthy employers to implement the minimum wage.
Iran attack fears
13 Jun, 2025

Iran attack fears

AS the fate of the US-Iran talks remains undecided, there are worrying signs that in case the negotiations collapse,...
Lack of direction
Updated 12 Jun, 2025

Lack of direction

Few believe that a govt desperate to grow the economy can actually pull it off, as the dynamism required is not visible.
Taxing e-commerce
12 Jun, 2025

Taxing e-commerce

FOR the first time, the government has the digital economy in its crosshairs. With a slew of new measures proposed ...
Kashmir mediation
12 Jun, 2025

Kashmir mediation

ONE of the noteworthy outcomes of last month’s limited clashes between Pakistan and India is that the Kashmir ...