No NATO yet, Turkey tells Sweden and Finland

A trilateral meeting resulted in no breakthrough for Sweden and Finland to join the defense alliance.

BY LILI BAYER, Politico.eu,

Ankara showed no signs of lifting its blockade on Stockholm and Helsinki’s NATO accession in a meeting on Thursday.

Representatives from the three countries came together for the first time since November as alliance officials sought Turkey’s sign-off.

Sweden cast the meeting as a step forward — regardless of lacking concrete results.

“The most important thing today is that we have gathered,” Sweden’s negotiator Oscar Stenström told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels following the talks. The sides, he said, “have agreed to further meetings.”

While 28 out of NATO’s 30 allies were quick to approve Sweden and Finland joining the alliance, the parliaments of Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify their membership bids.

Ankara, Stockholm and Helsinki signed a memorandum outlining steps the sides would take to address Turkish concerns on arms exports and terrorism at the alliance’s summit in Madrid last summer, when NATO leaders decided to invite Sweden and Finland to join.

But despite policy changes in Finland and Sweden, for example bills designed to prevent participation in terrorist organizations, Ankara has continued to block membership and to raise objections — especially against Sweden.

Tensions deepened in particular after a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Quran in Stockholm near the Turkish embassy in January.

And while it is unclear exactly what Turkey seeks with its continued block, there is speculation within the alliance that the drawn-out process is in part due to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s domestic political considerations — as well as an effort to gain leverage in Ankara’s relationship with Washington.

Stenström, the Swedish negotiator, said that Turkey recognizes how Sweden and Finland have “taken concrete steps,” characterizing this as “a good sign.”

Vilnius summit deadline

But lagging approval has fueled frustration across the alliance.

Now, there is growing speculation over whether Finland might end up joining NATO before Sweden.

For NATO allies, a key aim is to get Turkish and Hungarian approval for both countries before the next summit of alliance leaders, scheduled for July in Vilnius.

A delay beyond the annual gathering, officials worry, could be embarrassing for the alliance.

Asked if it is realistic for Sweden to join NATO before the summit, Stenström declined to commit on a timeline.