No such commitment appeared in the text of a joint memorandum signed by Turkey with Sweden and Finland this week in an eleven-hour agreement on the eve of the NATO summit that seemed to have overcome Turkey’s objections to accepting two Scandinavian nations in the Western Military Alliance. The text said that Stockholm and Helsinki would “meet” the pending requests for deportation or extradition of Turkey. But Erdogan told reporters: “Sweden has promised us that 73 terrorists will be extradited and deported to Turkey. . . We will see if they will give them or not “. The Turkish president warned that Sweden and Finland’s entry into NATO “will not happen” unless ratified by his country’s parliament, which is controlled by the ruling Justice and Development Party and its supranationalist allies. He said: “Sweden and Finland must keep their word. If they do not, this [ratification] he will not appear before parliament. “ Erdogan’s insistence at the last press conference of the NATO summit undermines what has hitherto been an event that has consistently focused on promoting Western unity around opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and support for strengthening its defense. NATO in Europe. The Swedish Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but officials in Stockholm had previously emphasized that extradition decisions were made by the Swedish judiciary and not by politicians. The request is a significant increase in the number of people Erdogan asked to be extradited in earlier stages of negotiations – a request rejected by Swedish officials, according to a source familiar with the talks. Turkish officials hailed the deal reached with the two Scandinavian nations as a victory for Erdogan, who also secured a coveted meeting with US President Joe Biden after withdrawing his objections to their acceptance. Biden said he used the meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Madrid to stress that the White House supported the sale of US F-16 aircraft to Turkey, which seeks to fill a gap in its aviation. “We need to sell them F-16s and also upgrade these jets,” Biden told reporters. “It is not in our interest not to do that.” However, Biden said his support for the sale of the F-16s was not a “quid pro quo”, even though he believed it could help persuade Congress to give it the blessing it ought to have for arms exports. of the USA. The US president praised Turkey after Tuesday’s agreement, arguing that Sweden’s and Finland’s acceptance would “strengthen NATO’s collective security and benefit the entire transatlantic alliance”. Analysts have warned, however, that the vague language of the memorandum reached by the three countries, mediated by senior NATO officials, has left much room for controversy. The text promised that Stockholm and Helsinki “will not provide support” to Kurdish groups that Ankara considers terrorists or to the Gulen movement that Turkey accuses of plotting a failed 2016 coup. It also said they would lift a de facto embargo. of Turkey, effective from 2019. Some Western officials fear that Erdogan, who is facing a provocative campaign for re-election in a vote due before June 2023, could rekindle the controversy in a bid to bolster his public support. “The memorandum of understanding between Turkey-Sweden-Finland seems to be a manifestation of deep misunderstanding,” Toni Alaranta, a Turkish expert at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, wrote on Twitter, responding to Erdogan’s remarks. He said the three countries would have “a huge task to really solve before we reach any ratification”.
