Sweden's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, has stated that there are no outstanding demands from Turkey to secure the ratification of Sweden's entry bid into the NATO defense alliance. He expects the move to happen "relatively soon." This comes almost three months after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support for Sweden's NATO bid, which was seen as a significant breakthrough for the military alliance. However, the parliament in Ankara has yet to take action on the issue.
Kristersson emphasized that Sweden has fulfilled its obligations to improve cooperation with Turkey to prevent PKK-related financing or activities targeting Turkey. He cited the significant progress in cooperation between the two countries' police and security services as an example of Sweden's commitment to its pledges. He also mentioned that other countries are becoming impatient for the ratification to occur, although he did not specify which countries.
The ultimate decision to initiate the process to ratify Sweden's NATO bid lies with Erdogan. Recently, he criticized Stockholm for not preventing Koran burnings in Sweden, which sparked anger within the Muslim world and among his conservative support base. Erdogan also urged Sweden to ensure that supporters of separatist Kurdish militant groups cease staging anti-Turkey protests.
Turkey's Defense Minister, Yasar Guler, reiterated their commitment to Sweden's NATO bid, but also emphasized the expectation for Sweden to take concrete steps in the fight against terrorism and implement new legal regulations in combating terrorism. Guler further clarified that the final decision on ratifying Sweden's membership lies with the Turkish parliament.
Sweden applied to join NATO for security reasons, alongside neighboring Finland, which gained entry in April. The catalyst for these applications was Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, all current NATO member states must agree on the admission of new countries, and Turkey, along with Hungary, has been the main holdout, primarily due to concerns related to the Kurdish issue.
In a potential effort to smooth the ratification process, a Swedish man was recently convicted of hate speech for a Koran-burning-related offense, marking the first time such a conviction has occurred. This development may play a role in Turkey's parliament ultimately ratifying Sweden's NATO entry bid. However, the question of F-16 fighter jets remains a point of contention between Ankara and Washington.
Prime Minister Kristersson acknowledges that this issue is not solely about Sweden, and there are many discussions taking place simultaneously regarding bilateral matters between various countries. Despite the complexities surrounding the ratification process, Kristersson remains hopeful that Sweden's NATO bid will be officially accepted in the near future.