Erdogan Threatens NATO Expansion as It Plans To Freeze Sweden, Finland Bids To Join

NATO expansions with Sweden and Finland might cut short the recent fanfare because Erdogan might cut their membership bids short. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan considers the Nordic nations not fully complying with Turkey's conditions.

Threat to NATO's Ambition for Expansion

Ankara last Monday said that Stockholm and Helsinki might have celebrated too early; there is a good chance the Turkish leader will freeze their membership if the agreement last month is not fulfilled, reported RT.

The two nations promised to do something about it or not be ousted by Turkey. Erdogan set his line that they know the conditions, and if they are ignored, they expect the process to stop. These nations have to decide, and it's up to them.

Stockholm, in particular, is struggling with the conditions, he added. Until the end of June, Ankara prevented Helsinki and Stockholm from applying to join NATO. The alliance officially invited Finland and Sweden to a meeting in Spain thanks to a trilateral memorandum signed in Madrid, noted Mass News.

The document demanded that the two Nordic nations cooperate with Turkish requests by abolishing their ban on military shipments to Ankara and adopting strict measures toward people and organizations that Turkey has designated as terrorist organizations.

They include supporters of the exiled preacher Fetullah Gulen and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) activists who sought shelter in these Nordic nations.

Despite being neutral during the Cold War, Sweden and Finland, on May 18 this year, presented petitions to join, expressing concern for national security in light of the Russian military operation in Ukraine and NATO expansion.

Until it becomes official, membership in NATO needs permission from the lawmakers of all 30 member-states.

Erdogan and his demands had put NATO's plans to formally welcome the pair to the June 28-30 summit in Madrid in doubt, but a last-minute compromise that was reportedly made over coffee with a mechanism to advance the process saved the day.

The US' Take on Turkey's Bid To Join NATO

The US aims to engage with Finland, Sweden, and Turkey to guarantee that this accession process and ratification procedures worldwide are as rapid and effective as they can be.

Ned Price, the spokesperson for the State Department, stated on Monday that the White House wants them both to join NATO as soon as possible.

Erdogan's warning comes with adopting the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) text by the US House of Representatives, which stipulated that more certifications are needed before Turkey can buy F-16 fighter jets, citing AA.

Trilateral talks in Tehran are crucial with Turkey's participation As mentioned by Bloomberg, Vladimir Putin, Ebrahim Raisi, and Tayyip Erdogan will discuss matters like Syria and other issues facing the three in world geopolitics and more.

In late June, Putin traveled to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to meet with those countries' presidents and participate in the sixth Caspian Summit, including Iran.

Erdogan, with his counterparts, are part of the Astana Peace Process started by Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara in 2017 to end the Syrian conflict. They hoped to end terrorism and foster peace and reconstruction, the opposite of what Washington wanted.

NATO expansion is now uncertain as Erdogan feels that Sweden and Finland are not doing enough, thinking Turkey will not raise an objection again.