“I am ready to work with President Erdogan and Turkey to strengthen security and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic region”US President Joe Biden said in a statement “Eagerly” Sweden should be welcomed as the 32nd member of NATO. Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Groove also welcomed “First Win” From the top of Vilnius.
A few hours before a win that is not guaranteed. During the day on Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raised the possibility of a speedy resolution of the case by presenting a last-minute condition, surprising to say the least. “First we will pave the way for Turkey to join the European Union and then we will pave the way for Sweden”The strongman started in Ankara before arriving in the Lithuanian capital in the late afternoon for a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson, in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO summit in Vilnius: Race against time continues to lift Turkish (and Hungarian) ban on Sweden’s membership
This Turkish demand, Mr. Erdoğan’s non-presentation somewhat stunned allies. Turkey has been an official candidate for EU membership since 1987, but the process has now stalled due to a lack of Turkish ambition and the authoritarian tendencies of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A path that goes further than bringing Ankara closer to the EU and its values. However, the European Union and NATO are two different entities. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear on Monday that Turkey’s EU accession talks are off. “Not a related topic” Sweden’s entry into NATO. Same message from the European Commission. “We think that this should not be an obstacle to Sweden joining NATO.A State Department spokesperson added.
while saying “Support Turkey’s aspirations for EU membership”, Jens Stoltenberg recalled that it was not (necessarily) part of the trilateral agreement, agreed between Ankara, Stockholm and Helsinki in July 2022. Finland received the Turkish green light and joined the alliance, but not Sweden. So it always depended on the demands and moods of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey’s president agrees to support Sweden’s NATO membership
One last gamble
How to explain this last eviction of the Turkish president? At a pivotal moment in history, Mr. Some feared it would open a new chapter in Erdogan’s surreal demands. In the end, it would have been the last chapter of the Erdogan show – and the version preferred by Olaf Scholes and Jens Stoltenberg, who were optimistic about a favorable outcome of the talks on Monday. Ankara will keep NATO and Sweden in suspense, while receiving a positive signal from the EU on terrorism. Following Monday’s meeting, Turkish President and European Council President Charles Michel agreed to “revitalize” relations between the Union and Turkey.
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