Erdogan puts brakes on Nato growth
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he won’t allow Sweden and Finland to join Nato because of their stances on Kurdish militants, throwing a wrench into plans to strengthen the western military alliance after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At a press conference in Ankara late on Monday, Mr Erdogan poured cold water on expectations that Turkish opposition to the enlargement plan could be easily resolved. The remarks were his clearest indication that he intends to block membership for the two countries, or at least extract concessions for it, since they announced their intentions to join over the weekend.
“These two countries lack a clear stance against terrorism” and “Sweden is a nesting ground for terrorist organisations,” he said. He also said that Turkey wouldn’t allow countries that impose “sanctions” on Turkey to join Nato, an apparent reference to restrictions on weapons sales imposed by several European nations.
At the heart of the matter is Mr Erdogan’s deep resentment against Nato allies for what he sees as their refusal to take seriously Ankara’s concerns about Kurdish militants operating inside Turkey and across its borders in Syria and Iraq. Turkey wants its perception of the threat to be acknowledged by all Nato members, and says risk priorities should be harmonised across the alliance.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said yesterday that Mr Erdogan is using the situation as a negotiating ploy to try to extract concessions, including in the country’s efforts to buy F-35 fighter jets from the US.