Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to back Sweden’s NATO membership on the eve of a two-day NATO summit in Lithuania.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Erdogan has agreed to submit Sweden’s accession protocols to Turkey’s Parliament, the Grand National Assembly, which needs to ratify Stockholm’s NATO membership.
The announcement came after Erdogan and Stoltenberg met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. In a joint statement, the leaders noted the efforts Sweden has taken to placate Turkey since last year’s NATO summit in Madrid.
Turkey’s main gripe with Sweden is its alleged support for the PKK, a Kurdish militant group Turkey considers a terrorist organization. The statement said Sweden has “amended its constitution, changed its laws, significantly expanded its counter-terrorism cooperation against the PKK.”
Sweden also agreed to lift an arms embargo it placed on Turkey in 2019 over a Turkish attack against Kurds in northeast Syria. The statement said Sweden and Turkey have also agreed to establish a new “new bilateral Security Compact” that will meet annually.
“At the first meeting of this Security Compact, Sweden will present a roadmap as the basis of its continued fight against terrorism in all its forms,” the statement reads.
Erdogan’s approval brings Sweden one step closer to becoming the 32nd member of NATO. Sweden is still awaiting approval from Hungary, and it’s not clear at this point when Budapest will sign off on Stockholm’s bid.
By applying to join NATO, Sweden abandoned its long-standing policy of neutrality, which kept the country out of two world wars.
After 75 years of proximity to the Soviets, now that the communist state has collapsed, Sweden abandons neutrality. I guess they are actually no longer afraid of Russia but want to join in on the “all aboard” the unspoken NATO world empire?
You miss the part where Russia invaded Ukraine, Alexia?
Did you miss the part where Sweden couldn’t join because they noticed Turkey doing the same thing?
This has nothing to do with Ukrainian sovereignty, beyond mere pretext
It doesn’t even make sense. Why would we wage this proxy war and give them terror weapons that kill civilians and maim the unborn if we gave a single actual shit about the Ukrainians?
And Putin gets checkmated in a most humiliating fashion, courtesy of the person that so many people here on this site always thought was the thorn in the side of the United States. They must have not been following Erdogan’s rocky relationship with Putin.
Well what a fiasco this has become for Russia. Nato encroachment goal not really achieved. I think Russia has been beaten enough at this point. Time for the US to encourage some level of negotiation. No need to do an end zone dance.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
NATO has beaten the Europeans much more than it did Russia, a fantastic neocon Biden/Nuland performance.
Europe, US/NATO, and EU are on a suicide mission.
The insane US/NATO PEOPLE in Washington blew up their own EU/NATO members energy pipeline, with a demented Biden in charge, if that is not insane I don’t know what is.
Who wants to vote for a demented basket case?
Children should be seen and not heard.
Now now, seriously, Russia was “beaten enough” to warrant ending this shit show before we sent the first bullets to Azov. We should totally turn the same propaganda organs to announcing victory and pulling out of this shit, like we’ve done everywhere else, even if we haven’t really won shit.
“” the leaders noted the efforts Sweden has taken to placate Turkey””
hilarious that Sweden has to placate Turkey.
“oh dear friends what is the least that we can we do for such pillars of the global community such as yourselves!”
edit = recall when Turkey literally tried to exterminate every single Armenian from the face of the earth
Agreed 100% But no way they placated Turkey! How? Does he foolishly think he’s joining the EU?! Or, is he gonna pull an Erdogan and change directions again? It’s gonna be difficult without EU membership and Russian energy. He might be taking classes from Biden on how to shoot yourself in both feet! …You know, start war with Russia and China?
(Sarcasm)
The Greeks should claim.back it’s territory lost to the Turks.
Sweden was feeling all left out from an initial nuclear attack from Russia when nuclear war starts. Now, they’re feeling better to be brought up closer to the top of the list. It’s a huge mistake. They’re feeling warm and fuzzy inside, thinking we’re going to intercept those nuclear missiles with our “advanced” technology until WE DON’T. …Yes. I’m an expert. I watched a lot of Road Runner cartoons. (Sarcasm)
Skeptical me, Erdogan may know more than we do how close to total collapse NATO really is, maybe closer than we can imagine. He would get the EU membership Turkey wants just before it all breaks down and Sweden would loose its precious neutrality for nothing but disaster in return.
I know it sounds crazy, but we do live in very crazy times.
After five decades of trying, he thinks “This time it will really work!” — quote from Bullwinkle and Rocky 😉
There must be something Erdogan got in return which is a secret now… If not the promise of EU membership talks or getting F-35 jets from US…!
Very minimal coverage of election politics in Sweden, Finland and even Germany indicate most people are against their government’s policies, especially on energy, and about NATO’s influence over their nations, it seems they want Ukrainian neutrality, and a fair relationship with Russia, rather than be a proxy of the US/globalist financial web
NATO welcomes Sweden, a new NATO member, Sweden and newcomer Finland are sound financial contributors.
NATO regrets to not be able to admit Ukraine, Cato Institute says Ukraine is not cost efficient.
Never believe anything Americans tell you.
Hooray! Everyone gets their war crimes!
We get to sell proscribed terror weapons! Turkey gets to crush and cleanse their ethnic minorities in neighboring nations, commiting exactly the same offensive pretense this whole war is based on in Ukraine!
What a shining day for massive hypocrisy based on nothing but greed and coersion. Let’s all gobble it down without question, because if we don’t keep shuffling towards massive, irredeemable evil with a big sloppy grin, all those transparently evil strangers on social media, cheerleading death and apocalypse with barely concealed priapisms will mock us
A veritable Legion of Doom is forming to beat back Russia’s attempts to not have us murder their nation for our own global hegemony! Truth (not) Justice (not) and the American Way!
I came across this piece from the Cato institute. It is mindboggling.
The advice is to close the door and walk away, to admit Ukraine in NATO is not cost EFFICIENT. # 2/2
That is why Biden is not really supporting Ukraine member ship.
The Ukraine war shows NATO needs to increase the defense budgets.
The 5 minute tape shows the true face of the ugly American. After all the suffering, NATO membership would be too costly for NATO.
The Ukrainians died for their right to join NATO!!!!
That is what all of us have been told: the war is to protect the right of Ukrainians to become a NATO member !!!
How many Ukrainians and Russians paid with their lives for this gigantic LIE????