Support for Sweden
According to the White House, US President Joe Biden expressed his eagerness to see Sweden join NATO “as soon as possible” during a phone conversation with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
The discussion revolved around Sweden’s aspiration to become a member of the Western alliance. However, both Turkey and Hungary have posed obstacles to Sweden’s bid, as unanimous approval from all NATO members is required.
Erdogan informed Biden that Stockholm had taken some positive steps toward gaining Ankara’s endorsement, specifically referring to an anti-terrorism law. Nevertheless, Erdogan expressed dissatisfaction as supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) continued to hold demonstrations in Sweden, as reported separately by the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate.
In response, the White House statement conveyed Biden’s desire to promptly welcome Sweden into NATO. The leaders agreed to meet face-to-face at an upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, to discuss bilateral relations and regional matters in detail.
During a foreign minister-level meeting on Thursday, Sweden failed to persuade Turkey to lift its blockade on its NATO membership path. Ankara requested further action in the fight against terrorism. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced his intention to arrange a meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday.
Kristersson aims to persuade Erdogan to withdraw Turkey’s objections and support Sweden’s bid to become the 32nd member of the US-led defense organization. Erdogan’s office denied any correlation between Turkey’s desire to acquire US fighter jets, which necessitate congressional approval, and Sweden’s membership drive.
Last year, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership, abandoning their policies of military non-alignment that had persisted throughout the Cold War due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a call following Erdogan’s re-election on May 28, Biden himself associated the two issues. During a press conference, Biden informed reporters, “Erdogan still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done.”
Erdogan reiterated his longstanding stance on Sunday, asserting that Sweden must intensify its crackdown on suspected Kurdish militants to secure Turkey’s support. He mentioned that Sweden’s decision to allow pro-Kurdish groups to stage demonstrations in Stockholm undermines the steps taken to combat terrorism, as quoted in the statement.
