Turkey Calms Opposition to Finland and Sweden NATO Membership
"No Deadline for NATO Membership at the End of This Month"... Ongoing Negotiations with Turkey
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stated that Turkey's concerns about terrorism related to Kurdish armed groups are legitimate and expressed his intention to continue negotiations with Turkey to approve Finland and Sweden's NATO membership. This is seen as a response to growing concerns about the possibility of Finland and Sweden's early NATO membership being blocked due to Turkey's opposition.
According to CNN on the 12th (local time), Secretary General Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinist?, "Turkey's concerns about the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are legitimate, and no NATO ally has suffered as many terrorist attacks as Turkey." He emphasized, "Turkey's concerns are justified regarding terrorism and arms exports, and NATO must address the security concerns of all allies, including Turkey's."
This statement is interpreted as a response to Turkey's earlier accusations that Finland and Sweden support Kurdish armed groups and its declaration that it would not support their NATO membership until these countries change their policies. As the tug-of-war between the West and Turkey over the early approval of NATO membership for the two countries continues, it is analyzed that Stoltenberg is trying to appease Turkey's government position.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government demands that Finland and Sweden lift restrictions on arms exports to Turkey and extradite members of certain Kurdish groups opposing the Erdo?an administration. Although the two countries have jointly dispatched delegations to Turkey, it is reported that reaching an agreement with Turkey is proving difficult.
Secretary General Stoltenberg specifically mentioned the upcoming NATO summit scheduled to be held in Madrid from the 28th to the 30th, stating, "There has never been a deadline for the Madrid summit," indicating his intention to continue negotiations with Turkey over time. Earlier this month, Stoltenberg expressed hope for a swift resolution regarding the NATO membership issue of the two countries and said he would advance the membership process before the Madrid summit.
Meanwhile, NATO requires unanimous consent from existing member countries for the admission of new members. It is known that most member countries, except Turkey, support the membership of Sweden and Finland.
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