Turkey’s Erdogan Told Allies It Will Say ‘No’ To Finland And Sweden’s NATO Bids, In His Most Definitive Statement Yet

Topline

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that Turkey will reject Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids, delivering a potential blow to the two countries’ applications for membership one day after they were submitted, as all 30 NATO members must unanimously approve new countries.

Key Facts

Erdogan said in a video posted to his Twitter account Turkey has “told allies that we will say no” to Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, Reuters quoted him as saying.

Erdogan added “we will continue on our path like this,” according to an Associated Press translation, as he spoke to a group of Turkish youth in the video.

Finland and Sweden submitted their official applications to join NATO on Wednesday, and Turkey blocked a fast-track effort to begin talks on their bids hours later.

Turkey’s opposition, which came as a surprise to some allies, began on Friday when Erdogan announced Turkey was not favorable to Finland and Sweden joining due to their support of Kurdish groups, which Turkey considers to be terrorist organizations.

Finland and Sweden, along with some Western allies, have offered support to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, while Turkey has been fighting against armed Kurdish groups for decades and has accused Sweden of supplying weapons to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Sweden denies.

Contra

Turkish officials have tried to clarify Erdogan’s comments over the past week, with Erdogan’s spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin saying on Saturday Turkey isn’t attempting to block Finland and Sweden’s bids entirely, but wants to ensure that the national security of all NATO members is taken into consideration. A Turkish official also told the Financial Times on Wednesday Turkey isn’t “saying they can’t be NATO members,” adding “the sooner we can reach an agreement, the sooner the membership discussions can start.”

Chief Critic

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Sunday that Turkey’s intention is not to block membership. “I’m confident that we will be able to address the concerns that Turkey has expressed in a way that doesn’t delay the membership or the accession process,” Stoltenberg said. “My intention is still to have a quick and swift process.” A NATO official also said in a Wednesday statement to Forbes the alliance is “determined to work through all issues and reach a rapid conclusion.”

What To Watch For

President Joe Biden is meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at the White House Thursday morning to discuss their NATO applications. Biden called Finland and Sweden “longtime, stalwart partners of the United States” in a statement on Wednesday. “By joining NATO, they will further strengthen our defense cooperation and benefit the entire Transatlantic Alliance,” Biden said.

Further Reading

Turkey Blocks Start Of Talks On Finland And Sweden’s NATO Applications (Forbes)

‘Historic Moment’: Finland And Sweden Submit Applications To Join NATO (Forbes)

Turkey Opposes Finland And Sweden Joining NATO, Erdogan Says (Forbes)