Relations between Turkey and Sweden cooled already earlier in January. This week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Sweden should not expect support for its NATO membership. We compiled the twists and turns of the last few days, as a result of which Finland’s NATO membership seems to be further delayed.
Worn out last week it became clear that Finland and Sweden will have to wait a long time before becoming members of the military alliance NATO.
They already submitted an application in May and became observer members in July. However, full membership requires the approval of all NATO members, and applications are stuck in two NATO member countries. Hungary has said it will start processing them in February, but Turkey has not promised anything.
On the contrary: the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Monday that Sweden should not expect to receive Turkey’s support for joining NATO. Finland’s policy has been that it strives for NATO together with Sweden.
HS compiled the recent twists and turns.
The hanging of a doll resembling Erdoğan in Stockholm caused Turkey to cancel the visit
Relations between Turkey and Sweden cooled already earlier in January after the activists hung up President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan resembling a doll on its feet outside the Stockholm City Hall.
After the incident, Turkey among other things, canceled the speaker of the parliament Matti Vanhanen (center) and the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament by Andreas Norlén The trip to Turkey.
The burning of the Koran in Stockholm caused anti-Swedish protests in Turkey
Last Saturday, another demonstration was organized in Stockholm, which angered Turkey.
A Danish far-right politician who opposes Islam Rasmus Paludan burned the Koran Outside the Turkish embassy and in his speech, he opposed Islam and Sweden’s immigration policy.
The Swedish police allowed the demonstration to take place despite Turkish opposition. On Saturday, it was reported that the Swedish Minister of Defense Pål Jonson’s the visit to Turkey planned for this week was cancelled.
Accordingly, anti-Sweden demonstrations began to spread in Turkey. Protesters, for example burned and trampled Swedish flag in Istanbul.
Erdoğan: Blasphemers cannot expect Turkish support for NATO membership
Turkish President Erdoğan announced Monday eveningthat Sweden should not expect to receive Turkey’s support for joining NATO.
“Those who allow such blasphemy in front of our embassy can no longer expect our support for their NATO membership,” Erdoğan said in his speech, referring to the Koran burning.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto (vihr) spoke on Monday by phone with the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu with. Haavisto characterized the burning of the Koran to the journalists as an “unfortunate event” that should not have been necessary.
Haavisto’s glimpse of Finland applying for NATO without Sweden raised an uproar
Anti-Sweden demonstrations continued to spread in several Muslim countries, in addition to Turkey, for example in Pakistan and Afghanistan. During Tuesday, for example, the Swedish embassy in Ankara was closed due to protests.
Foreign Minister Haavisto gave Up in the morning the interview, which became big news not only in Finland but also in Sweden. Haaviston was interpreted as having opened the possibility for Finland to advance to NATO membership without Sweden.
During Tuesday, Haavisto clarified his words and emphasized that Finland’s line has not changed. Also, for example, the Minister of Defense Mikko Savola (central) and chairman of the defense committee Antti Häkkänen (cook) stated the same.
Read more: The Foreign Minister’s speech caused an uproar – That’s exactly what Haavisto said
Haavisto said that he also spoke with the Secretary General of NATO on Tuesday Jens Stoltenberg with. The message of this too had been that the simultaneous membership of Finland and Sweden is still also NATO’s absolute priority.
Sweden: “The situation is very serious”
On Tuesday, it was also reported that the tripartite negotiations between Finland, Sweden and Turkey are on hold for the time being. Haavisto estimates that no ratifications can be expected before Turkey’s May elections.
On Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf KristerssonMinister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström and Defense Minister Pål Jonson kept extra NATO briefing.
Kristersson said that nothing is now as important for Sweden’s national security as Sweden becoming a member of NATO with Finland.
“I want us to take this seriously now. The situation is very serious,” he said.
Haavisto denied the backup plans for applying to NATO without Sweden
Foreign Minister Haavisto visited Estonia and Latvia on Wednesday. On his way he denied any kind of contingency plans for Finland advancing to NATO without Sweden.
On Wednesday also survived that Rasmus Paludan, who burned the Koran, received help in expressing his opinion from a Swedish journalist who has also cooperated with a subsidiary of the Russian propaganda channel RT.
President Niinistö plans to talk to Erdoğan as “man to man” if no progress is made before the NATO summit
There has been no discussion on evaluating the NATO memberships of Finland and Sweden separately from each other, confirmed again Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu on Thursday. He also said that due to the demonstration in Stockholm, the joint NATO negotiations between Finland, Sweden and Turkey are “insignificant”.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said that he spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg by phone.
President Sauli Niinistö visited Kyiv, Ukraine this week.
Niinistö was a guest in the evening Ylen in the A-talk program. He said that he stayed away from the NATO discussion so as not to create the impression that Finland was “begging” for membership.
However, the president made it clear that before the July NATO summit in Vilnius, progress must be made in ratification.
“If there is no movement, then we have to have a serious discussion man to man,” Niinistö said.
Read more: Turkey: Finland and Sweden’s NATO negotiations “meaningless” – Niinistö flashed the discussion “man to man”
Turkey invited the Danish ambassador for an interview
Turkey summoned the Danish ambassador in Ankara for an interview because of “attacks against the Koran”, anonymous sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry told the Danish news agency Ritzau.
What should one think of all this?
Researchers, experts and journalists have been analyzing the situation all week.
HS’s NATO correspondent Elina Kervinen reminded on Sunday that the relationship between Sweden and Turkey will ultimately be only one piece of the NATO puzzle.
Read more: Relations between Sweden and Turkey reached a new crisis – it is probably still only one piece in the NATO puzzle
Researcher specializing in Turkish politics at the Foreign Policy Institute Toni Alaranta assessed the domestic political situation in Turkey on Monday. For him, Erdoğan is playing for himself an election victory by all means.
Read more: According to the expert, Erdoğan is now trying to win the election by all means
Editor-in-Chief of HS Anna-Liina Kauhanen wrote on Tuesday that Pekka Haavisto spoke carelessly, but did the Finns a favor by making the borders of Finland’s movement space visible to the citizens as well.
Read more: Haavisto spoke carelessly, but he did the Finns a favor
The situation of Finland’s NATO application was analyzed by a researcher on Wednesday Charly Salonius-Pasternak and research director Hanna Ojanen.
Read more: Researcher: If Turkey were to ratify only Finland’s membership, there could be an internal political problem and a real dispute
HS culture reporter Vesa Sirén asked if, with the pressure created by Turkey, the “cycle of bullying” is again a threat.
Read more: Turkey puts pressure on Finland and Sweden: Is the cycle of bullying again a threat?
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