Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his intention to facilitate the parliamentary ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership. However, he mentioned that Stockholm has not taken sufficient action against Kurdish militants. Last month, Erdogan submitted a bill to parliament approving Sweden’s NATO membership bid, a move that was welcomed by both the alliance and Stockholm. Initially, Turkey had objections due to Sweden’s alleged harboring of groups considered as terrorists by Turkey.
During a return flight from Kazakhstan on Friday, Erdogan told reporters that while Stockholm has taken some steps regarding protests organized by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and arms embargoes on Turkey, it has not addressed the activities of the PKK within Sweden. Erdogan emphasized that their duty was to submit the bill to parliament, which has been completed.
Erdogan also mentioned that discussions about Turkey’s 2024 state budget will now take priority, indicating that the approval of Sweden’s NATO membership may not be swift. Nevertheless, he assured that they will make efforts to facilitate the process and show positive engagement, as long as their counterparts approach them in a positive manner.
The bill must be approved by the parliament’s foreign affairs committee before a vote by the full general assembly. Once approved, Erdogan will sign it into law. Sweden and Finland, both traditionally neutral countries, applied to join NATO last year in order to enhance their security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While Finland’s membership was finalized in April, Sweden’s bid had faced delays due to objections from Turkey and Hungary.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; editing by Jason Neely and Gareth Jones)
