Turkey is unlikely to sign off on Sweden’s bid for NATO membership before the end of the year, and the chances of this happening even before elections due next year are slim, according to officials familiar with the issue.
Sweden has not done enough to meet Turkish demands and the Turkish parliament’s agenda is full for the rest of the year, said the officials who asked not to be named on a confidential matter. Turkey is happy with cooperation from Finland which has also applied to join the alliance, but plans to vote on both applications simultaneously, they said.
With Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, due to arrive in Turkey on Thursday for meetings, Ankara insists on solid steps especially from Sweden, according to the officials. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is keen to consolidate the votes of nationalists in the run-up to elections, which are currently scheduled for June, they said. The vote may be held earlier.
The Turkish government does not plan to seek parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s membership unless it meets existing demands to crack down on Kurdish separatists, extradite suspects and fully lifts restrictions on arms sales to Ankara, said the officials.
Read more: Bloomberg
