Sweden, Finland on different tracks for NATO accession
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Loading... - Afonso Benjamin
- 21 Mar 2023
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As Sweden continues to wait for the next step in its NATO application process with no new meetings with Hungary or Turkey scheduled, Finland is powering ahead in its bid to join the Alliance.
Sweden and Finland simultaneously applied for NATO membership on 18 May 2022, and the ratifications of Hungary and Turkey are still pending. Budapest promised ratification by the end of March, while Turkey has so far only pledged to ratify Finland’s application, probably before the Turkish parliament closes on 7 April ahead of elections in mid-May.
Even if NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg promised that Swedish membership is now a “top priority” for the Alliance, it seems impossible to change the Turkish government’s mind.
The issue is the refusal of the Swedish authorities to extradite members of the Turkish opposition, mainly Kurds, who had taken refuge on its territory and the burning of Qurans by a far-right activist. Read More..
