Swedish PM ‘not worried’ about Turkey delaying NATO ratification

Sweden is not worried about Turkey not having yet approved or given any information about when it would ratify Sweden’s NATO application, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told the press Monday, despite Ankara last week promising to give the go ahead.

Kristersson showed no reason to be concerned at the two-day EU-CELAC summit between the EU and Latin American countries that started on Monday.

“I left the NATO summit with a handshake stating that we are in agreement and that it should happen as soon as possible. But then everyone realises that ‘as soon as possible’ is not an exact time limit,” Kristersson told the Swedish press in Brussels.

A week ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised a final go-ahead for Sweden’s NATO membership “as soon as possible”, but gave no indication as to when this will happen – although he did indicate that ratification could take until October in his closing press conference at last week’s NATO meeting in Vilnius.

“I feel completely comfortable that we are in agreement. I don’t think it’s a problem in any way, but we need to be patient now so that the concept of ‘as soon as possible’ has time to wear off,” Kristersson added.

Kristersson did not view the counter-terrorism roadmap Sweden promised as having to be implemented before ratification by the Turkish parliament can be considered.

“There are no new commitments at all, but now the next step to be taken – while Sweden fulfils what we are doing – is Turkish ratification,” he simply said.

Last week, Erdogan declared that Sweden will present a roadmap as the basis of its continued fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Sweden “will not provide support to YPG/PYD [Kurdish militia group], and the organisation described as FETÖ in Türkiye,”, he said.

Speaking in Vilnius, the Turkish leader also said he expected Sweden to stop the “hate crime” of burning the Holy Quran in the Nordic country, waive arms export restrictions to Turkey, support Ankara’s bid for EU membership, modernise the customs union, and support visa liberalisation.

(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)