Sweden can't meet some Turkey demands for NATO bid: PM

Sweden and Finland broke with decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the U.S.-led defence alliance in response to Russia's February invasion of Ukraine

Published - January 08, 2023 11:58 pm IST - Sälen, Sweden

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Turkey, which has for months blocked NATO membership bids by Sweden and Finland, has made some demands that Sweden cannot accept, Sweden's prime minister said on Sunday.

"Turkey has confirmed that we have done what we said we would do, but it also says that it wants things that we can't, that we don't want to, give it," Ulf Kristersson said during a security conference also attended by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

Also read: Explained | Why is Turkey against Sweden, Finland joining NATO?  

"We are convinced that Turkey will make a decision, we just don't know when," he said, adding that it will depend on internal politics inside Turkey as well as "Sweden's capacity to show its seriousness."

Sweden and Finland broke with decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the U.S.-led defence alliance in response to Russia's February invasion of Ukraine.

But Turkey has refused to approve their bid until the two countries take steps, including joining Turkey's fight against banned Kurdish militants.

Most of Turkey's demands have involved Sweden because of its more robust ties with the Kurdish diaspora.

Finland's foreign minister said that the country would join NATO at the same time as its neighbour.

"Finland is not in such a rush to join NATO that we can't wait until Sweden gets the green light," Pekka Haavisto, told reporters at Sunday's conference.

In late December, Turkey praised Sweden for responding to its security concerns but stressed more was needed to win Ankara's full backing for Stockholm's stalled NATO membership bid.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.