On 10th July, Turkey agreed to welcome Sweden into the NATO military alliance fold. An announcement was made by NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg on Twitter at the ongoing Vilnius Summit in Lithuania.
Gen Secy Stoltenberg wrote, “Glad to announce that after the meeting I hosted with @RTErdogan & @SwedishPM, President Erdogan has agreed to forward #Sweden’s accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly ASAP & ensure ratification.”
Glad to announce that after the meeting I hosted with @RTErdogan & @SwedishPM, President Erdogan has agreed to forward #Sweden's accession protocol to the Grand National Assembly ASAP & ensure ratification. This is an historic step which makes all #NATO Allies stronger & safer. pic.twitter.com/D7OeR5Vgba
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) July 10, 2023
Stoltenberg called the development a historic step “which makes all NATO allies stronger and safer”. The announcement came following a trilateral meeting between Jens Stoltenberg, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
While Erdogan has agreed to push for the ratification of Sweden’s bid in the Turkish parliament, there is not a definite time period provided for the same.
US President Joe Biden issued a statement following the development and said, “I welcome the statement issued by Türkiye, Sweden and the NATO Secretary General this evening, including the commitment by President Erdoğan to transmit the Accession Protocol for Sweden to Türkiye’s Grand National Assembly for swift ratification.”
The Swedish PM said he was “very happy” and that it was a “good day for Sweden”. Notably, the development comes amid increased tensions between the two countries over the Quran-burning episode in Stockholm.
Terms of Agreement between Sweden and Turkey
As per their agreement, Sweden will present a “roadmap as the basis of its continued fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations towards the full implementation of all elements of the Trilateral Memorandum”. Sweden reiterated that it will not provide support to YPG/PYD, and the organisation described as FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization) in Turkey .
Both Sweden and Turkey agreed that counter-terrorism cooperation is a long-term effort, which will continue beyond Sweden’s accession to NATO.
Sweden and Turkey have also agreed to step up economic cooperation, through the Turkey -Sweden Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). Both Turkey and Sweden will look to maximise opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investments.
On this basis, as per the agreement, Turkey will transmit the Accession Protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly, and work closely with the Assembly to ensure ratification.
Why was Erdogan reluctant to approve Sweden’s bid to join NATO?
NATO is a military alliance of countries in Europe and North America consisting of 31 member states, all of whom are required to approve for membership of a new nation.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden applied for NATO membership in 2022 which was blocked by Turkey and Hungary.
One of the points of contention between Turkey and Sweden was the arms embargo by the latter on the former after Turkey invaded Syria in 2019. This was resolved in an agreement signed between the two in 2022 in Madrid that Turkey would lift the veto in exchange for lifting the embargo.
Another stalemate was over the protests against Erdogan’s government by certain groups in Sweden. “This is not only a matter of a law amendment or a constitutional change. What is the job of the police there? They have legal and constitutional rights, they should exercise their rights. The police should prevent these [protests],” Erdogan reportedly said.
Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan had expressed his concerns following the burning of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm. He said that Swedish authorities’ failure to prevent the Quran-burning protests is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden’s credentials for NATO membership.
Erdogan had also sent a give-and-take message calling for Turkey’s EU membership in exchange for Sweden’s NATO membership. Earlier, Turkey had also blocked Finland’s membership attempt and was the last to approve it.
