Erdoğan ties Sweden’s NATO inclusion to Turkey’s EU bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday linked his country’s approval of adding Sweden to NATO to Ankara’s longtime bid to become a formal member of the European Union (EU).

Speaking to reporters ahead of a major NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Erdoğan said Turkey has “for over 50 years been kept waiting at the door of the European Union.”

“First clear the path to the EU in front of Turkey and then we will clear the path in front of Sweden, just as we did for Finland,” Erdoğan said at the news conference.

Turkey is the only holdout to approving Stockholm’s accession to NATO after Hungary last week said it would not stand in Sweden’s way once Turkey approves. All 31 NATO members must ratify a country for inclusion.

President Biden had hoped to win Sweden’s entry to NATO during this week’s summit. Stockholm first applied more than a year ago along with fellow Nordic nation Finland. Both nations applied shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking concerns about security in Europe.

Finland’s accession was held up until March, when Turkey gave final approval to the nation’s membership.

Erdoğan, however, has expressed serious concerns about Sweden’s position on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a terrorist group in the eyes of the EU, Turkey and the U.S.

On Monday, Erdoğan stressed he wanted to see more progress on a trilateral memorandum between Turkey, Finland and Sweden that pledges a commitment to addressing security concerns.

“We as Turkey are tired of saying that it is a must to combat terrorist organizations and its extensions without making any distinction among them,” Erdoğan said.

It’s unclear if a deal can be reached without EU membership for Turkey.

Ankara has formally sought inclusion into the EU since 1987, when it applied to the EU’s predecessor. Negotiations over the years have stalled amid concerns over human rights and democracy in Turkey.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is hosting a meeting Monday with Erdoğan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

At a news conference Monday, Stoltenberg said he supports Turkey’s EU ambitions but indicated it should not be linked to Sweden’s entry to NATO. He said Sweden had met requirements related to its counterterrorism activities and cooperation with Turkey.

“It’s still possible to have a positive decision on Swedish membership here in Vilnius,” Stoltenberg said. “We don’t have any certainty. We don’t have any guarantees. But of course, now we have the momentum of the summit with the leaders here and we will use that momentum to ensure as much progress as possible.”