Turkey postponed its trilateral talks with Sweden and Finland on the Nordic countries’ bid to join NATO. The meeting was scheduled to be held next month in Brussels.
Similar to other such tripartite meetings in the past, the countries’ foreign ministry officials would have discussed Turkey’s opposition or concerns regarding Finland and Sweden’s bids. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was scheduled to attend the meeting as well.
BREAKING: Erdogan says Sweden 'should not expect' Turkey's support for NATO bid following Sweden's support for Quran burning.#Sweden #Quran #Turkey https://t.co/Gd0NOB2tF7
— Robert Carter (@Bob_cart124) January 23, 2023
According to state-owned TRT, Turkish officials have not confirmed till when the meeting has been postponed, leaving the discussions on the Nordic countries’ membership bid on an indefinite halt.
Heightened Tensions with Turkey
The decision to postpone the meeting came just a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted his opposition to Sweden’s membership bid on Monday. The declaration directly resulted from Sweden’s failure to stop a Saturday anti-Islam protest in Stockholm, wherein far-right leader Rasmus Paludan burned a Quran outside the Turkish embassy.
Erdoğan condemned the “disgrace” outside the Turkish embassy, saying that countries that refuse to bar such acts should not expect support for NATO membership applications.
Watch: The US says that a Swedish-Danish politician’s “repugnant” burning of the Quran may have been sabotage against unity in #NATO, with #Turkey again denouncing #Sweden’s membership bid.https://t.co/YHZcBk26td pic.twitter.com/IjuCrVN3hr
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 24, 2023
Tuesday’s announcement will likely further delay Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO until Ankara hosts parliamentary and presidential polls in May.
Sweden and Finland applied to become members of the military alliance last year. Their bid will only be successful if all 30 allies accept their application. However, Turkey has been blocking Stockholm’s application over concerns about its stand on terrorists, particularly the Kurdish community, which Turkey views as militants who organised a coup in 2016.
Finland and Sweden’s Response
Amid escalating tensions between Stockholm and Ankara, Finland, for the first time, hinted that it could join NATO without Sweden. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that Finland “must consider joining NATO without Sweden.” To this end, he noted that Helsinki must “assess the situation” to understand whether the souring tensions will prevent Sweden’s NATO membership bid in the future.
However, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday that Washington would not entertain Finland’s accession request if it excluded Sweden.
FM @Haavisto: It is possible that recent events could delay 🇫🇮 and 🇸🇪 #NATO process. Let me be clear - Finland’s position remains the same. We are applying to NATO together with Sweden. #FinlandNATO
— MFA Finland 🇫🇮 (@Ulkoministerio) January 24, 2023
Later, on the same day, Haavisto organised a last-minute press conference where he clarified that the reports were “imprecise,” and reiterated that Finland and Sweden were seeking to join the military alliance together. However, he said the discussions with Turkey needed a “time-out” for a few weeks to calm the tensions.
In response, Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson noted that he “understands the frustration that many in Finland feel” over the delay. He further accused forces inside and outside Sweden of preventing the Nordic country’s membership bid.
Accordingly, he urged those opposing Sweden’s NATO membership to “realise the gravity” of the deteriorating security situation. He further highlighted the importance of recognising the “provocateurs” who intend to damage Sweden’s foreign relations and its NATO membership bid.