Sweden and Finland’s joint bid to join NATO could be derailed by opposition from Turkey, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two countries have confirmed they would seek to join the military alliance, ending decades of neutrality, in a historic shift prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But Turkey’s President Erdogan said he will not approve the bid and that delegations from the two countries should not bother visiting Turkey to try to convince them.
He told a news conference that Sweden was a “hatchery” for terrorist organisations - a reference to Turkish claims Sweden and Finland harbour people it says are linked to groups it deems terrorists, namely the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt.
All 30 current NATO members must agree to let the two countries join.
It comes as further diplomatic tensions were revealed in the pro-Ukraine alliance when the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said there was no agreement yet on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia.
Earlier on Monday, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson warned the Nordic country would be in a “vulnerable position” during the application period and urged her fellow citizens to brace themselves for the Russian response.
“Russia has said that that it will take countermeasures if we join Nato,” she said.
“We cannot rule out that Sweden will be exposed to, for instance, disinformation and attempts to intimidate and divide us.”
Sweden’s move came a day after the governing Social Democratic party endorsed a plan for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance and Finland’s government announced it would seek to join Nato.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland, which shares a 830-mile border with Russia, and Sweden of repercussions should they pursue NATO membership.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday seemed to downplay the significance of their move.
Speaking to a Russian-led military alliance of six ex-Soviet states, Putin said Moscow “does not have a problem” with Sweden or Finland as they apply for Nato membership, but “the expansion of military infrastructure onto this territory will of course give rise to our reaction in response.”
Flanked by opposition leader Ulf Kristersson, Andersson said her government also was preparing a bill that would allow Sweden to receive military assistance from other nations in case of an attack.“
The Russian leadership thought they could bully Ukraine and deny them and other countries self-determination,” Kristersson said.
“They thought they could scare Sweden and Finland and drive a wedge between us and our neighbors and allies. They were wrong.”
Both Finland and Swedent remained neutral throughout the Cold War, but formed closer relations with NATO after the 1991 Soviet collapse.
After being firmly against NATO membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with record levels of support for joining the alliance.
Andersson said Sweden would make clear it doesn’t want nuclear weapons or permanent NATO bases on its soil — similar conditions as neighboring Norway and Denmark insisted on when the alliance was formed after World War II.
