Erdogan called Sweden’s steps towards joining NATO insufficient

Sweden is not trying hard enough to become a NATO member. With this opinion shared Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was broadcast on the American television channel PBS.

The Turkish leader recalled that one of the main conditions for Sweden to join the Alliance is the fulfillment of promises to combat terrorism. Erdogan noted that terrorists “still move through the streets of Stockholm.”

Sweden’s request for NATO membership will be considered by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the president of the republic added. He stressed that the parliament’s verdict will be decisive in this matter.

“For ratification to happen, Sweden, of course, must fulfill its promises. Terrorist organizations must immediately stop their demonstrations and actions on the streets of Stockholm. Because it will be very important for the Turkish people to see that this actually happens. Sweden seems to have changed the legislation, but this is not enough,” Erdogan said.

Sweden asked for NATO membership four months after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine in February 2022. At approximately the same time, Finland announced its intention to join the North Atlantic Alliance, which was accepted into the military bloc in April 2023.

Turkey has been opposed to Sweden’s admission to NATO from the very beginning, demanding that Stockholm fulfill its obligations to combat terrorism. On September 18, the idea of ​​admitting Sweden to the military bloc was also criticized in Hungary. According to the rules of the alliance, its expansion is possible only with the approval of new members by all existing members.