Turkey, Sweden to hold talks to resolve NATO issue
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Prime Ministers of Turkey and Sweden will have a meeting on Monday to try and resolve a diplomatic issue related to Sweden’s delayed membership in NATO, which has been hindered by Turkey.
This meeting is seen as a final effort to find a solution to the problem.
Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May 2022 prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February but were met with huge rejection from Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey had rejected the two Nordic countries’ bid for NATO membership under the pretext that they support the PKK, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
However, in March, Turkey hindered Sweden from joining NATO but ratified Finland’s bid.
The Guardian reported that the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, is scheduled to hold crucial talks with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan just before an upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where NATO aims to exhibit solidarity against Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine.
The Guardian said, citing analysts as saying, that NATO and the White House fear that Russia use ties with Turkey to seed divisions among western allies.
The US president, Joe Biden, is expected to push for Erdogan to approve Sweden’s application when the pair meet on the sidelines of the two-day summit.
The possibility of Ukraine’s admittance to NATO is also expected to be high on the summit agenda as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called for a unified signal from NATO on Ukraine and for his country to join the alliance in an interview with the US broadcaster ABC aired on Sunday.
“Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO,” Zelenskiy added.
Biden on Sunday told CNN that Ukraine was “not yet ready” for NATO membership.