Turkey Skips NATO Meeting... Sweden Faces Backlash Over 'Membership Delay'

As Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is being delayed, T?rkiye, which holds the key to Sweden's NATO membership, has announced that it will not attend the NATO meeting.

On the 30th (local time), according to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mevl?t ?avu?o?lu, the Foreign Minister of T?rkiye, notified that he will not attend the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Oslo, Norway, on the 31st and the 1st of next month. This Foreign Ministers' Meeting is the last official meeting before the NATO summit in July, which is set as the target date for Sweden's accession.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey
[Photo by Reuters]

Earlier, Sweden submitted its NATO membership application along with Finland in May last year, following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. Finland joined as a member unanimously last month, but Sweden has not become a member as T?rkiye and Hungary have delayed the ratification process.

T?rkiye opposes Sweden's NATO membership on the grounds that Sweden supports the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which T?rkiye considers its greatest security threat.

Hungary has not explained the specific reasons for delaying the ratification. However, some speculate that conflicts between Hungary and the European Union (EU), due to concerns over corruption involving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb?n, have influenced Hungary's approval of Sweden's ratification.

NATO has drawn a line against overinterpretations surrounding T?rkiye's absence. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, said at a joint press conference with Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway, that "not every member country attends every ministerial meeting," and explained, "As I understand it, the reason the Turkish Foreign Minister is absent is because T?rkiye is preparing to form its parliament this week. It is not seen as a political message."

He added, "We are continuing close contact with Turkish authorities," and emphasized, "While I cannot guarantee it, I am fully confident that a solution can be found by then (the NATO summit)."

NATO member countries have started persuading T?rkiye. A spokesperson for the German government stated that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz invited President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an of T?rkiye during a phone call the previous day and expressed hope to discuss NATO issues with T?rkiye.

U.S. President Joe Biden also revealed on the 29th during a press briefing that he urged President Erdo?an to approve Sweden's NATO membership during their phone call.