More risks, conflicts ensue as NATO formally invites Finland, Sweden to join after Turkey lifts veto

NATO formalized its invitation to Sweden and Finland to join the alliance on Wednesday after the last minute agreement was made between Turkey, Finland and Sweden to allow the two Nordic countries to join the bloc. Analysts said that the negotiations are a bargain for Turkey but will not bring security assurance to Finland and Sweden as NATO’s expansion will bring more risks and conflicts to the region with less buffer zone with Russia.

NATO has formally and collectively decided to approve the countries’ applications to join after Turkey dropped its objections Tuesday, paving the way for NATO’s most consequential enlargement in decades, CNN reported. Turkey had opposed the two Nordic countries’ bid to join NATO citing concerns of their lax approach toward groups that Turkey has deemed as security threats.

For example, Turkey has accused Sweden for harboring members of the Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK) while Sweden denied the accusation from Turkey.

Turkey’s demands for NATO are clear, including requiring Finland and Sweden and other Western countries to stop supporting PKK, openly condemning it and deeming PKK and the People’s Defense Units as “terrorist organizations”; and demanding the European Union to lift arms export restriction, said Liu Zuokui, a research fellow on European studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Turkey also urged the US to lift sanctions on it to buy S- 400 missile defense systems from Russia and include Turkey in the US’ sales list of F- 35. Turkey also wants to buy new F- 16 fighters, Liu told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The expert noted that NATO cannot immediately agree with all of Turkey’s demands as divergences on these issues have been accumulating for a long time. Turkey is dissatisfied with the unfair treatment from the West during its integration to the Western world.

Analysts also noted that the two Nordic countries may also soon join the Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – in worrying about NATO’s “tripwire” approach since NATO’s relatively small number of troops would see these countries overrun before NATO takes measures to assist after 180 days, according to media reports.