Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

NATO

Turkey warns Finland, Sweden must ‘take steps’ before NATO approval

Turkey will not formally approve Finland and Sweden's membership of NATO until the two countries take the necessary "steps", Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg Friday.

Published: 5 November 2022 10:21 CET
Turkey warns Finland, Sweden must 'take steps' before NATO approval
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the parliament to mark the opening of the new legislative year, at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on October 1, 2022. Photo: Adem ALTAN/AFP

Turkey will not formally approve Finland and Sweden’s membership of NATO until the two countries take the necessary “steps”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg Friday.

Ankara has accused the two Nordic nations of providing a safe haven for outlawed Kurdish militants it deems “terrorists” and held back on ratifying their NATO membership despite an agreement in June.

“President Erdogan noted that the steps to be taken by Sweden and Finland would determine how fast the approval process… would go and when it would be concluded,” the Turkish presidency said.

READ ALSO: ‘It’s time to welcome Finland and Sweden as members of Nato’

Erdogan and Stoltenberg held a private meeting in Istanbul that was closed to the media.

Finland and Sweden dropped decades of military non-alignment and scrambled to become NATO members in May, after Russia invaded Ukraine. But Erdogan threatened to block their bids and sought concessions, leading to a deal in June between Turkey, Finland and Sweden that included provisions on extraditions and sharing information.

New Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will visit Ankara on Tuesday to meet with Erdogan in a trip that Stockholm hopes will lead to Turkey’s approval.

Stoltenberg “welcomed the major, concrete steps already taken by both countries to put the memorandum into practice, and stressed that their accession will make NATO stronger”, the alliance said in a statement on Friday.

On Thursday, the NATO secretary general said Finland and Sweden’s accession was important “to send a clear message to Russia” during a press conference with the Turkish foreign minister.

All 30 NATO member states except Turkey and Hungary have ratified the accession of Sweden and Finland.

New members to the alliance require unanimous approval.

Member comments

  1. The 2-decades long ruler of Turkey is clearly running a proxy-negotiation with the U.S., via Finland and Sweden, two countries that are the last you would accuse of condomning terrorism. Them acknowledging his “terms” just humiliates them. Most probably the ruler wants to be given F-16 and other arms to say YES, for he would like to use these arms and aircraft to do to Greece what Russia is doing to Ukraine.

  2. One of the coolest things about Sweden, and something I admired Sweden for, was that it opted to remain outside of Nato, and that it had a unique and independent military force and unique equipment and world perspective.

    Sweden should maintain its independence, and in looks weak for running to Nato and the protection of the USA at the first sign of danger in its neighbourhood. And there is no need to join Nato. Of course, the US would defend Sweden if it were attached by Russia or any other aggressor – if even Sweden remained outside of Nato. And now – in joining Nato – Sweden may well be dragged into a foreign conflict if another Nato member is attacked or engaged.

    I hope Turkey blocks Sweden’s Nato application, for Sweden’s own good. And that Sweden maintains its independence. For if Sweden joins Nato, you can be sure that its unique and interesting military forces will diminish is scope and capability at a rapid pace, as Swedish politicians conclude that Sweden is protected by the USA – its big brother. Just look at Germany, if you doubt this will happen.

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

MILITARY

EXPLAINED: Is national service compulsory in Sweden?

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently revealed plans to introduce compulsory national service, referencing Sweden as an inspiration for this. But how does national service work in Sweden, and is it compulsory for everyone?

Published: 27 May 2024 15:19 CEST
EXPLAINED: Is national service compulsory in Sweden?

Although Sweden hasn’t formally been involved in a war since 1814, the country has had some sort of conscription system since the 17th century, excluding a seven-year window between 2010 and 2017, where it was scrapped (or more specifically, “suspended in peacetime”).

Historically, it applied to men only, but was extended to include women in 2010.

Is it mandatory?

Yes and no.

When a Swedish citizen turns 18, they receive a letter from The Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency asking for information on their health, interests and education, in order to determine whether they should be called up for compulsory military service, officially known as värnplikt (“duty to protect”). 

This document is sent out to all Swedes turning 18 in a given year, and it is mandatory to fill this in, with a few exceptions, such as people who receive benefits from the Social Insurance Agency or residential care homes for children and young people (like HVB-hem or SiS-hem).

Having said that, it is by no means every Swede turning 18 in a given year who actually ends up carrying out military service.

In 2023, the agency collected information on 102,286 young people in Sweden turning 18 that year, with 36,420 called up for testing.

If you don’t turn up to these tests, known in Swedish as mönstringen, you can be sentenced to brott mot totalförsvarsplikten or “crime against the total defence obligation”, which carries with it a fine of 2,000 kronor or up to a year in prison.

These tests at the Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency are mandatory, and include a theory test, a medical examination, eye and colour blindness tests, hearing tests, as well as an EKG test, pulse and blood pressure tests.

You’ll also need to do a general fitness test and a strength test, as well as an interview with a psychologist to determine whether you’re cut out for military training.

Each test will be scored separately, with your total points determining which course within the Swedish armed forces you’ll be assigned to. You’re allowed to express a preference, although you’re not guaranteed to get a position on the course of your choice. Military training (colloquially known as lumpen) takes between 9 and 15 months, depending on the course.

Not everyone who carries out these tests will actually be called up for military training – in 2023, 6,144 (around 6 percent of everyone turning 18 that year) were assigned a course within the Swedish army, where they were joined by an additional 1,166 individuals who had applied of their own accord. 

Those who pass the tests but who aren’t assigned a position in the army are placed in the reserves, alongside people who delayed their conscription (due to their studies, for example). People in this group could be called up to perform military service if Swedish security is placed on high alert.

What about conscientious objectors?

People who for religious or political reasons do not want to use weapons can apply to carry out weapon-free military service or vapenfri tjänst. 

This doesn’t mean that you won’t have to serve at all, but you could be assigned to civil basic training, which essentially means you’d help ensure that important services like healthcare, childcare or the fire services were still running if there was a crisis.

At the moment, there are no civil basic training courses for conscientious objectors running, although the government has the power to reintroduce these.

There is no programme in Sweden similar to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans for 18-year-olds to dedicate one weekend a month volunteering in the community, for example by “delivering prescriptions and food to infirm people”.

SHOW COMMENTS