The two Nordic countries have officially applied for NATO membership. Turkey had already threatened a veto in advance. As originally planned, it was actually not possible on Wednesday to take the decision necessary to start the admissions process.
Turkey initially blocked the start of NATO accession talks with Finland and Sweden. As the German press agency from alliance circles, it was not possible on Wednesday morning in the NATO Council, as originally planned, to take the decision necessary to start the admission process. Sweden and Finland had officially applied for NATO membership in the morning.
It was actually intended that the NATO Council would then immediately decide to start accession talks. According to information from alliance circles, however, Turkey raised security concerns at the meeting and made it clear that it cannot agree at this point in time.
A spokesman for the alliance declined to comment on the talks in the NATO Council. He just stressed that Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg determined to find a quick solution for Finland and Sweden. “Both countries are our closest partners and joining NATO would strengthen Euro-Atlantic security,” he said.
Erdoğan speaks of “security concerns”
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made it clear again publicly that he would agree to the Nato– Makes the accession of Sweden and Finland dependent on approaching his country on security issues. For Turkey, the NATO expansion goes hand in hand with the respect shown to its sensitivities, he said in a speech to his conservative Islamic governing party, the AKP, in Ankara.
Sweden and Finland wanted to continue supporting “terrorist organizations”, but at the same time Turkey’s approval for NATO membership, Erdoğan criticized. “That’s a contradiction, to say the least.” Erdoğan accused Sweden of refusing to extradite 30 “terrorists”. “NATO is a security association, a security organization. In this respect, we cannot say yes to making this security body insecure,” said Erdoğan.
Erdoğan describes supporters of the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK, which is also considered a terrorist organization in the USA and Europe, as “terrorists”. Turkey also sees the Kurdish militia YPG in Syria as a terrorist organization – for the USA, on the other hand, the YPG in Syria is an ally.
Hope for talks between Cavusoglu and Blinken
Until recently, it was unclear how Turkey could be prevented from vetoing Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership. According to diplomats, in addition to statements by the two northerners on the fight against terrorism, arms deals could also play a role. The government in Ankara wants to buy F-16 fighter jets in the USA – but a possible deal was politically controversial in Washington recently.
There is now hope that talks by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in New York could bring movement to the dispute. Cavusoglu wanted to meet his US colleague Antony Blinken there, among others. “Diplomacy goes on,” said a diplomat in Brussels on Wednesday.
Germany would also take a positive view of Austria and Ireland joining NATO
According to a government spokeswoman, the German government is trying to break down possible blockades against the admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO. When asked about Turkish reservations, deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said in Berlin on Wednesday that a solution was being “actively” advocated. She didn’t want to give details. We are still confident that Sweden’s accession would also look positively on NATO membership of the neutral EU countries Austria and Ireland and that Finland would not be blocked, she added. The German federal government would also see a NATO accession of the neutral EU countries Austria and Ireland positively.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) sees no reason for Austria to abandon neutrality. Schallenberg confirmed on Deutschlandfunk that military neutrality does not mean political neutrality. Austria is showing solidarity and is clearly on the side of the Ukrainians. Austria is helping massively in the humanitarian field.
Russia will “undoubtedly” respond
For the two Nordic countries, the NATO membership candidacy would be a turning point after decades of alliance neutrality. A new phase is also beginning for NATO, because the border of the alliance area with Russia will be about twice as long. Finland alone has a border with Russia that is around 1,300 kilometers long.
In the past few weeks, Russia had reacted with threats, particularly with regard to its neighbor Finland’s plans to join NATO. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin said on Monday that NATO’s northern expansion “is not a direct threat” to Russia. However, his country would “undoubtedly” react to an “expansion of NATO’s military infrastructure” in the two countries.
As long as Finland and Sweden have not completed the accession process, they will not enjoy protection under NATO’s Article Five of Assistance. Great Britain and other member countries had therefore issued security guarantees for the Nordic countries. The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has also promised “support for mutual protection”.
(APA/dpa)