NATO allies push Turkey over Sweden's delay

Several NATO foreign ministers expressed their anger during their meeting in Brussels on Tuesday over Turkey's delay in approving Sweden's NATO membership despite months of negotiations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, on the sidelines of the meeting, reaffirming that Ankara should approve Sweden's accession "as soon as possible."

Blinken engaged in extensive discussions during his recent visit to the Turkish capital, while Washington and other allied countries accuse Turkey of procrastination.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told journalists, "We expect Turkey and Hungary to approve this accession without any delay." 

She added, "The strength and credibility of our alliance are at stake, and we must not lose any additional days."

The Turkish Parliament began considering the protocol for Sweden's accession to NATO in mid-November, which has been suspended since May 2022 and requires unanimous approval from the 31 NATO members.

Turkey, along with Hungary, is the last NATO member obstructing Sweden's accession, after approving Finland's membership in March. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted the veto he had imposed on this matter in July, stating that the final decision rests with the Turkish Parliament. 

This came after months of pressure on Swedish leaders, who were criticized for their leniency towards some Turkish and Kurdish refugees accused by Ankara of "terrorism."

On her part, Finnish Minister Elina Valtonen expressed her "deep disappointment," confirming that the allied countries had hoped to achieve this accession during the NATO meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

She expressed hope that it would become effective "before the end of the year."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Monday that "the process is moving forward, but I want to see it move faster, and this is not a secret."

AFP