NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday reiterated his confidence that Turkey will ratify the accession protocol of Sweden and Finland and allow them to join the Atlantic alliance, after stressing that, despite Ankara’s obstacles, this is the fastest entry process in the organization’s modern history.
«I am confident that the accession process will be finalized and that all NATO allies will ratify the accession protocols in their parliaments. And that goes for Turkey as well,» the former Norwegian prime minister assured at a press conference after signing the joint declaration of cooperation with the European Union.
In any case, Stoltenberg insisted that the Stockholm and Helsinki accession process is the fastest in NATO’s modern history. «We have come a long way in a very short period (…) Normally accession processes take years, Sweden and Finland applied for membership last May and already in July the 30 allies had invited Sweden and Finland to become NATO members,» he stressed.
He also explained that the two Nordic countries, which applied for NATO membership pushed by the changing security scenario in the region after the Russian aggression in Ukraine last February, are now «in a different situation» as several NATO allies, including the United States, have signed bilateral security agreements to ensure security during the transition to NATO.
«It is inconceivable that Finland and Sweden would face military threats without NATO reaction,» Stoltenberg stressed, recalling that de facto Sweden and Finland already participate in ambassadorial meetings and various committees within the military organization.
TURKEY’S RETENTION The entry of Sweden and Finland into the Atlantic alliance has met with Turkey’s reluctance, as the main obstacle to an ‘express’ entry after formally requesting its accession last May. Ankara refuses to accept their entry until they hand over all individuals accused of belonging to Kurdish organizations declared by the Turkish government as terrorist groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Turkish veto was first cleared on the eve of the NATO leaders’ summit in Madrid, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a three-way agreement with Sweden and Finland to cooperate on counter-terrorism, a pact which the Swedes and Finns now claim to honor but which has not translated into a more conciliatory position from Turkey, which insists on the extradition of individuals linked to the PKK.
In this regard, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday that the Turkish government is imposing a series of demands on his country to join NATO that Sweden cannot and will not comply with.
«They want things that we cannot and do not want to give them, and now the decision rests with the Turks,» the prime minister said during the People and Defense conference held in Stockholm and reported by the daily ‘Aftonbladet’.
Stoltenberg himself defended during a visit to Ankara last November that both Nordic countries comply with the agreements with Turkey on anti-terrorism and are committed to the long-term security of the country, calling on the Turkish authorities to unblock the situation.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
