Erdogan announced Sweden’s failure to comply with agreements to join NATO
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Sweden has still not fulfilled promises to Turkey that would allow it to join NATO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced this at a press conference in Istanbul.
“Let them make any amendments to the laws or the constitution. But it is necessary to put into practice the laws that have been adopted in Sweden. If terrorists in Sweden continue to organize actions under police protection, this means that the authorities are not fulfilling their duties, and terrorist actions continue on the streets of Stockholm. This means that the promises given to us are not being fulfilled,” said he (quote from TASS).
Sweden, along with Finland, applied for NATO membership four months after the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine in February 2022. In April, Finland officially became the 31st member of the military bloc. According to the organization’s charter, the consent of all its members is required for the admission of new states to NATO.
Türkiye opposed Sweden’s entry. The country’s authorities accuse the Swedish government of providing political asylum to terrorists, including activists of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK, designated as terrorist by Ankara), as well as supporters of the preacher Fethullah Gülen, whom the Turkish authorities consider the organizer of the coup attempt in 2016.
Ankara later agreed to ratify the protocol on the admission of Stockholm to the military bloc. This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on July 10 following a trilateral closed meeting in Vilnius, which was attended by Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Erdogan later said that the Turkish parliament could consider question of ratification in October.
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