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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed that Turkey would view Sweden's NATO membership more favorably if the European Union (EU) membership process for Turkey is revitalized.
Speaking at a press conference at İstanbul Atatürk Airport before heading to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania where the NATO Leaders Summit will take place on July 11-12, Erdoğan urged the EU to "clear the way for Turkey, just as we cleared the way for Finland."
Negotiations for full EU membership between Turkey and Brussels began in 2005 but have virtually stalled since 2016.
Meanwhile, when asked about Erdoğan's remarks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he backs Ankara's EU accession but it was not among the conditions for Sweden's NATO membership, which were laid down in a June 2022 memorandum between Turkey, Sweden and Finland.
During a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at Litexpo, the venue for the upcoming summit, Stoltenberg emphasized that Sweden has met the necessary requirements for NATO membership, suggesting a possibility of a "positive decision" at the summit.
Sweden's NATO bid
Regarding Sweden's NATO membership, Turkey's approval is still pending due to Ankara's accusations that Sweden has not fulfilled its commitments regarding "terrorist activities" on its soil.
Last year's memorandum reaffirmed the classification of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a "terrorist organization." Both Nordic countries committed to impeding the activities of the PKK and related individuals and organizations within their borders.
Turkey has been urging Sweden to comply with extradition requests for individuals under investigation for terrorism-related offenses, expressing disappointment over Sweden's alleged failure to fulfill these demands.
In early June, Sweden put into effect a law that strengthened penalties for terrorism offenses, in line with the provisions of the trilateral agreement. (NT/VK)
