Turkey Why is Turkey rubbing against Finland’s NATO membership? The gap between Turkey and the West is so inflamed that there are many theories

Finland and Sweden has one clear vote against NATO membership: Turkey, a NATO country, does not intend to accept applications.

What is rubbing Turkey in Finland and Sweden?

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized, at least, the economic sanctions imposed on Turkey in connection with the Syrian war and the protection of Kurdish activists, but it may just as well be that it is not just Finland or Sweden. There are many unresolved conflicts between Turkey, the EU and the United States, in which Turkey may now seek progress in the direction it wants.

Read more: Turkish President Erdoğan reiterates threat: not to accept Finland and Sweden into NATO

“Foreign countries are now under pressure to take Turkey’s security concerns seriously enough,” said the representative of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East. Anu Leinonen commented on HS.

Erdoğan has also had a habit of using aggressive rhetoric towards foreigners to gain popularity within his country.

“It simply came to our notice then. Speeches about Finland and Sweden gained some prominence in the Turkish media. ”

Turkey and the gap between the West is being strained by, for example, the Kurdish question, Syrian refugees and the occupation of Cyprus. Erdoğan and the ruling party, the AKP, have also taken Turkey in an authoritarian direction and dismantled the rule of law in Turkey.

The gap is so poor that the EU does not have a good and comprehensive cooperation agreement with Turkey, even though Turkey is the EU’s neighbor and the EU’s most important trading partner.

“Cooperation with Turkey can only be done on a case-by-case basis. If there were a rules-based agreement with it, the EU could have a better chance of influencing Turkey’s development, ”says Leinonen.

At least these controversies weigh on relations between Turkey and the West:

The Kurdish question

Turkey President Erdoğan claims that Finland and Sweden support terrorism. On Friday, he said the countries would act as “inns” for members of the PKK, among others, in the PKK.

Foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu At the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin, he argued that Finland and Sweden were openly supportive of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Turkey and the EU have both identified the PKK as a terrorist organization seeking Kurdish self-government. Turkey also sees the US-backed YPG in Syria as a terrorist organization.

“Internationally, Turkey condemns all aid to YPG. Turkey is rubbing that the United States supports the Kurds, ”says Leinonen.

“In Turkey, the definition of terrorism is very broad. People who have not been involved in any act of terrorism are often prosecuted and often condemned for supporting terrorism. ”

Read more: Turkey unexpectedly retaliates in NATO process – Domestic policy is deadlocked, says researcher

Turkey an estimated one-fifth of the citizens are Kurds. Leinonen points out that, especially since the 2016 coup attempt, the Kurds have been driven very narrowly in Turkey, including those who do not support the PKK.

“However, not all Kurds accept the PKK. It is an illegal actor in Turkey, but it has also interfered with legal activities. ”

For example, the left-wing legal party, the left-wing party HDP, has lost its representatives in local government and agencies, and much of the Kurdish-language informal activity in Turkey was closed in 2016.

“Elected local government types have been replaced by AKP officials, and there are thousands of HDP supporters in pre-trial detention,” says Leinonen.

Refugee agreement with the EU

Conflicts also raises the issue of the refugee agreement between Turkey and the EU.

To put it simply, the EU is trying to stop refugees from Syria going to EU countries via Turkey.

“Turkey promised to take in a large number of refugees and the EU promised money – and also made political concessions,” Leinonen sums up.

However, Turkey would no longer want to be a “buffer state,” says Leinonen.

No one knows the exact figures, but according to official estimates, more than four million Syrian refugees and just under 400,000 other refugees have entered the country. In Turkey, however, their status is not officially a refugee but a “temporarily protected” person. The Turkish State may, if it so wishes, terminate this temporary protection.

According to Leinonen, very harsh language is used among refugees. The ruling AKP is dissatisfied, but so is the opposition, which recalls how Erdoğan decided at the time not to close the border to the Syrians. Refugees have begun to be pressured and persuaded to return to their homeland.

“It’s really wild how refugees are treated there. On the other hand, they rightly ask me why they should withhold this population, ”says Leinonen.

“Certainly some people would have come to EU countries without an agreement with Turkey, but not all.”

Cyprus

Cyprus the occupation has been a wedge between Turkey and the EU for decades. Turkey has occupied the northern part of Cyprus since 1974.

According to Leinonen, the situation in Cyprus has lagged behind in recent years, along with Turkey’s possible EU membership. In principle, Turkey has applied for membership, but in practice neither party is trying to promote the application.

“If Turkey really became a member of the EU, Cyprus would be a real problem. After all, they occupy part of the EU country, ”says Leinonen.

“But now almost nothing has happened.”

According to Leinonen, the occupation of Cyprus still hinders cooperation between Turkey and the EU. This is part of the reason why Turkey and the EU do not have a sensible cooperation agreement.

“Cyprus will always cram everything Turkey is involved.”

Turkey ‘s economic concerns

In Turkey According to Leinonen, an even more significant issue in domestic politics than the Kurds is the currently stagnant economy.

President Erdoğan has views on economic policy that are significantly different from the mainstream, such as high interest rates causing inflation. The Central Bank of Turkey has followed this policy and kept interest rates low.

“As a result, the value of the Turkish currency has depreciated so much in a few years that we can almost talk about a collapse,” says Leinonen.

Anyway Leinonen does not consider Turkey’s economic policy a success. On top of widespread corruption, the state has guaranteed the returns of private construction companies on many projects of enormous scale. Among other things, the coronavirus pandemic has ensured that the state has become a payer.

“The Turkish opposition is talking about a junta of builders – five companies that get contracts and whose interests are being pushed by the AKP.”

Unemployment has risen and foreign investment is becoming increasingly difficult to attract to Turkey, according to Leinonen. The operating environment has become too unpredictable.

“Big investors have said that directly. When the rule of law doesn’t work, it’s random how investment works. ”

The economy that plunged into the pit of Turkey last year has already recovered somewhat. According to Leinonen, the easiest common ground for Turkey and the EU could be found in the economic field, as Turkey is still a country dependent on imports and exports.

“The EU’s best chance of influencing Turkey is through the economy.”