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.
Erdoğan ties Sweden’s NATO inclusion to Turkey’s EU bid (yahoo.com)