ANKARA (AP) — Sweden and Finland delegations were expected to meet with senior Turkish officials in Ankara on Wednesday in an attempt to overcome Turkey's objections to their historic NATO membership ambitions.
Last week, Sweden and Finland submitted written bids to join NATO, marking one of the most significant geopolitical repercussions of Russia's war in Ukraine — and potentially rewriting Europe's security landscape.
Turkey has stated that it opposes the two Nordic nations' membership in the military alliance, citing concerns about Sweden's — and to a lesser extent Finland's — alleged support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and other groups that Turkey considers a security danger. It also accuses the two of restricting Turkey's arms exports and refusing to extradite suspected "terrorists."Turkey's concerns have dimmed Stockholm and Helsinki's aspirations for speedy NATO membership in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, jeopardizing the transatlantic alliance's credibility. In order to admit new members, all 30 NATO countries must agree.
The Swedish and Finnish delegations are set to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal to discuss Turkey's issues. According to Turkish officials, the Swedish team will be led by state secretary Oscar Stenström, and the Finnish delegation will be led by Jukka Salovaara, the foreign ministry undersecretary.Several of Turkey's partners have designated the PKK as a terrorist group, and it has waged a decades-long insurgency against Turkey, killing tens of thousands of people.German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia has left Sweden and Finland with "no choice" but to join NATO on Tuesday at a meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.She stated that Germany would support the two countries joining the military alliance, describing it as a "genuine gain."
Turkey demanded five "concrete assurances" from Sweden this week, including "the cessation of political support for terrorism," "the eradication of the source of terrorism financing," and "the cessation of weaponry support" for the banned PKK and a Syrian Kurdish militia organization associated with it. The demands also included the easing of arms embargoes against Turkey as well as global terrorism cooperation.
Since 2017, Turkey has requested the extradition of Kurdish militants and other suspects, but has yet to receive a good reaction from Stockholm, according to Turkish officials. Ankara stated, among other things, that Sweden had decided to provide $376 million in 2023 to help Kurdish rebels and had provided them with military equipment including as anti-tank weaponry and drones.
Sweden has denied giving "financial or military help" to Syrian Kurdish organisations or entities.
According to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, "Sweden is a significant humanitarian donor to the Syria crisis through global grants to humanitarian players."
"The United Nations and foreign organizations have a major role in northeastern Syria," she explained. "While Sweden does not provide specific assistance to Syrian Kurds or the political or military formations in northeastern Syria, the populace in these areas does participate in these humanitarian initiatives."
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