Filenews 25 January 2023
Bloomberg Opinion Editorial Board
Since jointly applying for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) last spring, Sweden and Finland have received almost unanimous approval from the alliance's 30 member states. However, their accession to the alliance is suspended by a single unyielding country, which makes unreasonable demands: Turkey. NATO must put an end to this conflict and unreservedly welcome its new members.
Discord
In his latest appearance, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that, due to the recent burning of a copy of the Qur'an by a Danish far-right activist near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, the two Northern European countries "will not see any support from us on the issue of NATO." Because the enlargement of the alliance requires unanimous agreement, Turkey seems to believe that it now has a bargaining chip in order to blackmail other member states.
In exchange for accepting Sweden's and Finland's NATO candidacies, Erdogan has made a series of demands - most of which are directed at Sweden, which Turkey has long criticised for providing refuge to Kurdish separatists. In particular, Turkey wants Sweden to restrict the activities of political groups that Ankara accuses of aligning themselves with Kurdish fighters, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a terrorist organisation.
Sweden's centre-right government has tried to appease Erdoğan by lifting the arms embargo against Turkey, distancing itself from Kurdish fighters in Syria and pledging to bring tougher anti-terrorism laws before parliament. The country's Supreme Court, however, rejected Turkey's request for Sweden to deport a journalist linked to self-exiled Turkish priest Fethullah Gülen, a longtime enemy of Erdogan.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ruled out any further concessions, saying the Turks "want things that we cannot or do not want to give them". Kristersson later said the negotiations were "going very well", but reiterated that Sweden would not give in to Turkey's extradition requirements.
As a result, the enlargement process has come to a standstill. Although large majorities in Finland and Sweden support NATO membership, enthusiasm has limits: almost 8 out of 10 Swedes oppose violating the country's legal principles in order to win Turkey's approval. Given Erdogan's need to maintain support among nationalist voters ahead of the presidential election in May, the Turkish leader has little incentive to back down. In response to the burning of the Qur'an last weekend, Turkey cancelled a planned trip to Ankara by Sweden's defence minister. The head of the Swedish parliament saw his visit cancelled after pro-Kurdish activists hung an effigy of Erdogan during a protest in Stockholm.
Danger
Turkey's intransigence does not simply jeopardise the accession efforts of northern European countries. It jeopardises Europe's wider security. Further delays in adding Finland and Sweden to the alliance will deprive NATO of the benefit of the two countries' important military and information capabilities, at a time when the alliance's resources are being tested by aid to Ukraine.
Having abandoned their neutrality to join NATO, but lacking the security guarantees that come with full membership, the Finns and Swedes are now extremely vulnerable to Russian coercion, possibly in the form of attacks on critical infrastructure - which would escalate tensions between Russia and the West and increase the risk arising from miscalculations.
The US and Europe must break this deadlock. President Joe Biden should make it clear that, while Turkey has the right to express its concerns about Kurdish terrorism, this must not be at the expense of efforts to strengthen NATO. Negotiations on the extradition of Turkish nationals should be conducted directly with Sweden, out of any connection with NATO's enlargement process. Alliance leaders should press Erdoğan to approve the candidacy of the two Northern European countries by May 18 at the latest, when it will be a full year since they applied for membership.
If Turkey resists, the US Congress should respond by blocking the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. NATO should reduce Turkey's participation in joint exercises and sideline Erdogan at the NATO leaders' summit in July. Expulsion from the alliance - an unprecedented step - should also fall on the table.
Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO is critical to deterring Vladimir Putin and strengthening Europe's defence against future threats. The message must be clear: a member of the alliance who deliberately damages the security of the whole cannot even be an ally.
Source: BloombergOpinion
