World
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attends a joint press conference with the US Secretary of State in Ankara, Turkey, on February 20, 2023. Photo: Adem Altan/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Swedish member of the European Parliament on Monday slammed Turkey’s foreign affairs minister for stating that more concessions are needed from Sweden in order to join NATO, labeling the remarks as “counterproductive.”
Speaking to Rudaw’s Shahyan Tahseen, Swedish MEP Evin Incir said Ankara was holding both Sweden and Finland as “hostages” to gain leverage in the upcoming Turkish elections.
In a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Ankara, Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said “Stockholm needs to do more” when asked whether Sweden’s ascension will be approved during the awaited NATO summit in Lithuania in July.
Incir criticized Cavusoglu’s remarks, adding that Turkey’s remarks are “counterproductive.” She stressed that Turkey should understand the importance of Sweden joining NATO, describing it as a matter of safety and international law.
Blinken called for hastened action to be taken to include Sweden and Finland in the Nordic alliance.
Sweden and Finland’s bids to join NATO have been stalled by Turkey’s refusal to ratify them, accusing both countries, particularly Stockholm, of supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
"Finland and Sweden have already taken concrete steps to fulfill the commitments that they met under the trilateral memorandum of agreement that they signed," said Blinken.
Blinken stressed that the issue of joining NATO was not a bilateral one with Turkey.
Sweden and Finland submitted their applications to join NATO in May following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but their bid was hindered by Ankara. Joining the alliance requires approval from all member states.
In January, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country could ratify Helsinki's bid, but not Stockholm's.
Turkey is also interested in purchasing F-16 fighter jets from the US, a deal met with objections from the US congress unless Turkey green lights both countries' accession to the North Atlantic pact. Cavusoglu added that the matters are separate cases and should not be mixed.
Turkey has voiced its frustration at both issues being increasingly associated together. Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's foreign policy adviser, said last month that he hopes the F-16 case does not become a "hostage" to Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO.
By Azhi Rasul
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