Turkey warned on Tuesday that it would remain impervious to “pressure” and oppose Sweden’s NATO membership if it hindered the Atlantic alliance, while Hungary said it was in close contact with Ankara.
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“Turkey frowns on the use of pressure. “We act according to principles,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the press, urging Sweden to “do its homework” in order to join NATO.
“The question of whether Sweden’s membership in NATO is a burden or an advantage in strategic and security terms is increasingly being discussed,” the minister added a week before the annual NATO summit on July 11-12 in Vilnius.
Until then, a meeting between Sweden and Turkey is planned for Thursday in Brussels, at which foreign ministers, heads of intelligence services and national security advisors are to meet.
NATO Headquarters in Brussels | AFP
Hungary, the only other country of the 31 NATO member states that has not ratified Sweden’s membership, spoke of “a series of consultations” with Ankara on Thursday.
“Contacts with the Turkish foreign minister will continue in the coming days, and if there is a change (of position), we will of course keep our promise not to delay any country’s accession,” Hungarian chief diplomat Peter Szijjarto said in Budapest .
Peter Szijjarto, Head of Hungarian Diplomacy | AFP
In mid-June, parliament included Sweden’s ratification in a document announcing upcoming votes, but the issue is ultimately not on the agenda of the extraordinary summer session, which is taking place this week.
Turkey, which has blocked Sweden’s entry into NATO since May 2022, last week criticized Sweden after the Koran burning in Stockholm – an act the Swedish government “strongly condemned” and labeled “Islamophobic”.
Such an act “changes our perception of security in Sweden,” the Turkish minister said.
Hakan Fidan, Head of Turkish Diplomacy | AFP
A similar provocation occurred in January by a far-right activist.
Turkey has also criticized Stockholm for its alleged leniency towards Kurdish militants who have taken refuge in Sweden, despite the recent enactment of several reforms.
Ankara is demanding the extradition of dozens of activists it calls “terrorists” who are on Swedish soil.