Turkey’s holding off Sweden’s NATO bid frustrates latter
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billstrom said that he regretted Turkey’s decision to hinder his country from joining NATO while ratifying Finland’s bid.
On March 17, Billstrom told journalists in Stockholm that Sweden’s priority now is securing ratifications from Turkey and Hungary.
On March 16, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted that Finland may join NATO ahead of Sweden, as he might soon ratify Finland’s NATO bid separately from Sweden.
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 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG).