According to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO will complete the long-planned admission of Sweden in the new year. Stoltenberg told the German Press Agency in an interview at the turn of the year that he was confident that the country would be at the alliance summit in July as the 32nd alliance member. Sweden has fulfilled its promises to Turkey. Discussions are currently underway between the USA and Turkey regarding the additional F-16 fighter jet deal demanded by the government in Ankara.
Sweden had already applied for NATO membership in May 2022 under the impression of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and was still hoping to join in the summer of 2022. However, Turkey then accused Swedish politicians of a lack of commitment against “terrorist organizations” such as the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) and refused to give its consent.
Türkiye wants F-16 deal with USA
After concessions from Sweden, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced that he would allow ratification by the Turkish parliament. At the same time, he wants the US Congress to give its approval to the delivery of American F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
According to diplomats, with the link Erdogan is reacting to the fact that allies such as the USA and Germany have restricted arms exports to Turkey in recent years. The countries justified this, among other things, with Turkish arms purchases in Russia and constitutional deficits.
“Key country for Europe’s security”
Stoltenberg said on the subject: “Allies should generally be able to buy weapons from each other.” The Norwegian vehemently refuses to question Turkey’s NATO membership because of recent developments. “NATO would be a weaker alliance and we would all be more insecure without Turkey as an ally,” he said. With its strategically important location on the Black Sea and its borders with Iraq and Syria, Turkey is a “key country for Europe’s security.”
It serves as a base for the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS), makes an important contribution to NATO operations and has provided support for Ukraine for many years – long before many other allies started doing so in 2014.
Questions about the rule of law
Regarding concerns about press freedom and other issues related to the rule of law, Stoltenberg said: “Yes, there are differences in NATO.” But NATO is also a platform to express concerns and raise questions.
The next regular NATO summit will be organized in Washington from July 9th to 11th. At the same time, the 75th anniversary of the defense alliance will be celebrated. In order for Sweden to participate as a full member, all current alliance members must ratify the so-called accession protocol. In addition to Turkey, Hungary has not yet done this. However, the government in Budapest emphasized several times that Hungary would not be the last country to take this step.
