NATO tries to resolve Turkish tensions with Sweden, Finland
3 Min Read
Turkey has demands, which are not being met.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO has been attempting to resolve tensions Turkey faces with Finland and Sweden, as Ankara has been blocking the way for the 2 countries to join the alliance, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday.
"The aim is to solve those issues as soon as possible to be able to welcome Finland and Sweden as full members," Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
"Therefore we are working hard and actively on this issues on close consultations with Stockholm with Helsinki and off course with our NATO ally Turkey," he added.
On May 18, Finland and Sweden submitted their applications to join NATO, abandoning their neutrality policies, implying a shift in the security situation in Europe. Turkey, however, blocked the process due to the two countries' continuous support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has, for long, conducted terrorist activities against Turkey.
Read more: Finland will not join NATO without Sweden: Finnish President
The majority of Turkish people oppose the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO over their open support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara designated as terrorists, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier this month.
Turkey's Demands
Previously, citing "three senior Turkish officials," Bloomberg revealed Turkey's demands for NATO and prospective members Finland and Sweden:
1. Denouncing PKK and affiliates
According to Bloomberg, Turkish leadership demands that Sweden and Finland “publicly denounce not only the PKK, but also its affiliates before being allowed to join the bloc.”
2. Lift trade restrictions on Turkey
The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country also wants Sweden and Finland to lift trade restrictions imposed on Turkey. However, as Bloomberg sources revealed under the condition of anonymity, Turkey has a large wishlist.
3. Re-included in the F-35 aircraft program
“Turkey wants to be re-included in the F-35 advanced aircraft program, from which it was barred after it bought S-400 missile-defense systems from Russia. It also has an outstanding request to the US to purchase dozens of F-16 warplanes and upgrade kits for its existing fleet,” Bloomberg wrote.
4. US to ease sanctions on Turkey
Ankara also wants the United States to ease sanctions placed on it for purchasing S-400 weaponry. However, the agency's sources denied that Turkey's objections to Finland and Sweden's NATO membership were tied to Ankara's connections with Moscow.
Russia has cautioned Helsinki and Stockholm not to join the group and has guaranteed an appropriate response if they do.
Stoltenberg will visit Sweden on Monday and discuss its path to NATO membership as the disagreements are expected to be settled by the next NATO summit, in Madrid on June 29-30.
