Turkey has admitted Finland to NATO, but is still hesitant to approve Sweden’s entry into the alliance, leaving NATO with no choice but to accept it, Politico reports.
Reluctance to accept Sweden’s accession to NATO is the last, but not the first move by Turkey, which makes allies frown and grumble to themselves. In 2017, Turkey purchased a missile system from Russia. It has repeatedly attacked Kurdish fighters, who in turn are supported by the United States. And until today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan maintains contacts with the Russian President. Turkey accepted Finland’s accession in NATO only at the end of March.
Behind the scenes, some officials are worried about Turkey’s obstructionist manner, Russia-oriented foreign policy and peculiar approach to democracy. On the other hand, observers from the outside sometimes openly wonder how Turkey, a member of NATO since 1952, fits into the defense alliance of Western countries at all. However, NATO officials and allies have shown no desire to engage in discussions on the issue.
It is considered that NATO and Turkey have a mutually beneficial relationship.
Turkey is NATO’s second largest army. It actively participates in all alliance missions and operations, which may not be the case for all member states. From a geopolitical point of view, Turkey’s prime location between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea is critically important. Turkey’s friendship with Russia may prove useful when the time comes for peace talks.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Politico that Turkey is an essential member of NATO. He added: «They’ve closed the Bosphorus Strait for naval ships, which has reduced Russia’s capabilities to reinforce their presence in the Black Sea and around Crimea.»
In other words, Turkey is a headache for NATO to endure. Therefore, the alliance is willing
to compromise and flatten out differences in order to keep Turkey on its side.
Turkey, for its part, wants to be part of the community, even if it often plays dangerously close to the red lines. It needs NATO’s defense guarantees, given potential threats from countries like Iran and even supposedly friendly Russia.
Turkey’s foreign policy sets it apart from most NATO countries. On the one hand, the country has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and provided aid to Ukrainians; on the other hand, it refuses to sanction the industries that allow the war to continue. Erdogan has met with Putin several times since the start of the war, not to mention regular phone calls.
A European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkey was pragmatically trying to maintain a balance to serve its own interests as much as possible. Turkish officials, on the other hand, see their country as a mediator. According to them, Turkey is the NATO member that can take on
building a communication bridge that no other member of the alliance can.
Whether others see Turkey as an obstacle or a mediator, the country has been able to maintain a renegade position, and even gain influence and get its demands met. Jamie Shea, a former NATO representative and security expert, said that most allies would not be willing to become the «bad boy», but Turkey does not care, and that is precisely why it has such influence.
Last June, Turkey signed a tripartite agreement with Finland and Sweden, which provided that the Nordic countries would strengthen the fight against terrorism and extradite persons wanted in Turkey for trial. As the months passed, NATO officials insisted that Finland and Sweden had done their part, but Turkey was unfazed and said progress was insufficient. Additional tension was caused by protests in Stockholm at the beginning of the year, during which the Quran was also burned.
Finland is now admitted to NATO, but Sweden is still waiting for approval. By achieving separate admission of the Nordic countries, Turkey has demonstrated that its opposition to NATO expansion is not due to pressure from Russia, but is based on political disagreements with Sweden. The West believes that Ankara could allow Sweden to be admitted after the presidential election, and that Hungary, which is also still delaying the final decision, will not block the expansion of the alliance on its own.
Turkey has stated: «The moment we see Sweden fulfilling their commitments, we will start the ratification process as we did with Finland.»
Read also: Turkey confirms Finland’s membership in NATO