Turkish president wants modernized fighter jets: how Erdogan uses the poker for Sweden’s NATO membership

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The next NATO summit is scheduled for July 11 and 12. By then, the alliance wants Sweden’s accession to be a thing of the past. But whether that will succeed is doubtful.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (69) has been torpedoing accession talks with the Scandinavians for months. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (64) announced in Oslo on Thursday that he would soon travel to Ankara. Stoltenberg wants to exert pressure, he is running out of time.

The Swedish government recently gave in to Erdogan’s demands for new terror laws. They came into effect on Thursday. Participating in and supporting a terrorist organization is now a criminal offense in the EU country. Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (50) made it clear that even transport services can be considered a violation of the law. The perpetrators risk prison terms of several years.

“The legislation now coming into force gives Sweden new and effective tools to prosecute those who support terrorism,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, 59, wrote in an op-ed in the Financial Times. A loophole has been closed.

Turkey hesitates

Kristersson hopes the tougher legislation will lead Erdogan to abandon his blockade of Sweden’s NATO membership. Ankara had previously accused the Swedes of insufficient action against terrorism. This meant, in particular, the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK. “Sweden fully supports Turkey against all threats to its national security and condemns all terrorist organizations, including the PKK, that launch attacks against Turkey,” Kristersson said in the Financial Times article.

Sweden and Finland applied to join the Western Defense Alliance in May. The reason for the membership application was the war in Ukraine. Finland was admitted at the beginning of April. Turkey has so far hesitated to ratify the Swedish application.

The Turkish government reacted angrily on Sunday after Swedish MPs projected a PKK flag on the parliament building in protest against Erdogan’s re-election. Also not well received was an action by right-wing extremists in Sweden, who burned a copy of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January. Ankara is pushing for criminal prosecution in both cases.

It is quite possible that Erdogan will put the Swedish government to the test by July 11. To this end, lists of up to 130 people accused of terrorism by Turkish law enforcement authorities were sent to the Swedish judiciary.

Erdogan’s power gamble

An Eastern European diplomat told CNN that any delay in admitting Sweden not only “encourages” NATO’s enemies, but also increases the risk “that Erdogan appears to have power over the alliance”. The diplomat expressed concern: “Erdogan will seize the moment to make the most of this situation and throw the ball into the field of the Swedes – to hold them hostage by their (own) anti-terror laws.”

Erdogan already exits poker with a win. The modernization of his air force, which has been blocked for years, seems to be getting closer. This is where the US comes in. President Joe Biden (80) announced on Tuesday that he approved the modernization of Turkey’s F-16 jets. “I told him we want an agreement with Sweden. So let’s get this done,” Biden stressed Monday after Erdogan’s re-election.

If there is still no agreement by mid-July, there is a risk of further isolation for Turkey in addition to a break in the alliance. Until then, the autocrat Erdogan will continue to play poker.

Source: Blick