VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) 鈥 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Sweden鈥檚 NATO membership bid would not be ratified by Turkey鈥檚 parliament before October, but that he hopes for a swift ratification once lawmakers return from a break.
Turkey on Monday withdrew its objections to Sweden joining the alliance, a step toward the unity that Western leaders have been eager to demonstrate in the face of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine. The decision by Erdogan was a significant move toward Sweden鈥檚 membership and came after days of intensive meetings.
Erdogan鈥檚 comments Wednesday were his first public confirmation of his decision to refer Sweden鈥檚 membership to parliament, where his party and its allies command a majority.
He said at a news conference at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, that the process would have to wait until after lawmakers return from a summer recess. The new session opens Oct. 1.
鈥淭he parliament is not in session for the upcoming two months 鈥 but our target is to finalize this matter as swiftly as possible,鈥 he said.
The president鈥檚 apparent change of heart - after a year of blocking Sweden鈥檚 bid - came after Sweden pledged deeper cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism and to support Turkey鈥檚 ambition to revive its EU membership bid. In addition, the NATO secretary-general said the alliance would establish a special coordinator for counterterrorism.
Erdogan highlighted these commitments, describing a draft roadmap of 17 articles framed by Sweden and presented by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to Erdogan when they met Monday.
鈥淎 bilateral security mechanism will be established at the ministerial level and we will increase our cooperation and collaboration in our fight against the terrorist organizations,鈥 he said, referring to the new Turkey-Sweden deal.
鈥淎t the same time, Sweden will actively support the Republic of Turkey in the update of the customs union, visa liberalization and the membership process of Turkey to the European Union.鈥
Erdogan added that Sweden will help lift arms embargoes imposed on Turkey. 鈥淎fter those promises are kept, we will of course continue with (Sweden鈥檚 NATO) membership process.鈥
Finland has already of the alliance, and Sweden is on deck to become the 32nd. Both Nordic countries were historically nonaligned until the war increased fears of Russian aggression.
Turkey wants 鈥渢his process to be over as soon as possible,鈥 Erdogan said, referring to the ratification process. The deal would first be discussed by the parliament鈥檚 foreign affairs committee before going to a vote in the main chamber.
Erdogan must also win over the political parties aligned to his Justice and Development Party (AKP) that give him a parliamentary majority following elections in May. These include a small Islamist group, which on Wednesday said it opposed Sweden joining NATO as it 鈥渁llows attacks on Islamic values鈥 鈥 a reference to the burning of Qurans during protests in Stockholm.
Erdogan also addressed a central point of contention over Sweden鈥檚 bid 鈥 what Ankara perceives as its soft stance on terrorism, particularly Kurdish militants and those it associates with an attempted coup against Erdogan in 2016. Turkey has also complained in the past about what it considers terrorist activity in other European countries.
Erdogan welcomed the creation of a 鈥渟pecial coordinator鈥 for counter-terrorism within NATO. 鈥淔ighting against terrorist organizations is our red line, so from now on we expect all our allies to show a principled stance in their fight against terrorist organizations,鈥 he said.
Turkey's agreement on Sweden has also been linked to Ankara's efforts to acquire new F-16 fighter planes and upgrade kits for its existing fighter fleet from the U.S.
Both Turkish and U.S. officials have denied any connection but on Tuesday U.S. President Joe Biden signaled that the U.S. intended to proceed with the sale.
鈥淚鈥檓 much more optimistic than I鈥檝e ever been,鈥 Erdogan said when asked about the F-16 deal.
鈥淢r. Biden stated that he will do his best and that he will follow this process and he said that he鈥檚 optimistic about it. But just as the parliament in Turkey has to ratify an agreement, in the United States the Congress has to ratify it.鈥
___
Wilks reported from Istanbul, Turkey.
