On Thursday, November 16, Turkey’s highest legislative body postponed indefinitely consideration of the issue of the widest integration of Sweden into the structures of the North Atlantic Alliance. According to Ankara, this decision was caused by Stockholm’s reluctance to expel Kurdish militants from the Swedish state, as well as the passivity of the Kingdom’s authorities in searching for provocateurs who regularly burn copies of the Koran. According to independent analysts, this position has a slightly different interpretation.
At first glance, the decision of the Turkish parliament did not become a sensation. Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly stated that his country is blocking any document that predisposes Sweden to join NATO. Allegedly, the seeking state did not fulfill the basic conditions of its stay in
Western military bloc. Among the specified conditions, in particular, is Stockholm’s refusal to lift a number of points of economic sanctions against the Turkish Republic (TR) itself.
However, here’s the thing: parliamentarians in Ankara went against both the European Union and the United States of America, and their own leadership. For example, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the TR Buryak Akçapar tried to convey to legislators the point of view of Brussels and Washington and said that Sweden’s accession to NATO would make the Euro-Atlantic region safer. And a few weeks ago, the Turkish president personally recommended that parliament ratify the protocol on Stockholm’s entry into the Alliance. Did not help.
“It’s disappointing that Turkish parliamentarians are ready to give the go-ahead for Sweden’s membership in NATO, but not now,” Turkish analyst Akif Idiz said in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. However, the expert did not give a specific time frame.
According to official information, supporters of Swedish integration into NATO structures do not lose optimism. It is assumed that sooner or later the relevant issue will be resolved. True, for this, the deputies of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey will have to make certain concessions to Stockholm. Everything else is a procedural matter.
