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Finland’s top diplomat appeared to suggest Tuesday that the country might have to consider joining NATO without Sweden after Turkey’s president cast serious doubts on the expansion of the military alliance.
“We still have to evaluate the situation if Sweden’s application has been stopped for a long time,” Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Finnish broadcaster YLE.
The comments came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden not to expect support for its NATO membership bid following weekend protests in Stockholm by anti-Islam activists and pro-Kurdish groups.
This is the first time a major government official in either country has appeared to cast doubt on joining the alliance.
Haavisto later backtracked, telling reporters in parliament that his comments earlier on Tuesday were “inaccurate” and that Finland’s ambitions to join NATO alongside Sweden remained unchanged.
He said he had spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who had confirmed to Haavisto that the military bloc would like to see the two Nordic countries join together.
“But there are always concerns within NATO about how the events in Sweden will affect the schedule,” Haavisto said.
Sweden is concerned by saying
A bid by Sweden and Finland to join NATO requires the approval of all existing NATO members, including Turkey, which has so far blocked the expansion, saying Sweden in particular needs to get rid of exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers.
So far, Sweden and Finland have committed to joining the alliance, but Haavisto’s comments to YLE raised concerns that Finland is considering continuing without its Nordic neighbour.
“We are in contact with Finland to find out what the truth is,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said in a statement to the Associated Press. “Sweden respects the agreement between Sweden, Finland and Turkey on NATO membership. We have done so far and we will continue to do so.”
Rosemary Barton Live speaks with Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billström, in the first Canadian interview about Sweden and Finland’s NATO ratification process. Entry into the military alliance is currently held up by the agreement of Turkey and Hungary.
In a memorandum of understanding signed by the three countries at a NATO summit last year, Sweden and Finland pledged not to support Kurdish militant groups and lift an arms embargo on Turkey imposed after it invaded northern Syria in 2019.
Pro-Kurdish and anti-Turkish demonstrations in Stockholm have complicated the process. On Saturday, a right-wing activist from Denmark staged a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm where he burned the Koran, Islam’s holy book. A separate pro-Kurdish demonstration took place on Saturday in the Swedish capital.
The Swedish government has tried to suppress the demonstrations, while insisting that the demonstrations are allowed under the country’s independence.
Turkey reacted angrily to the protests, canceling a planned visit to Ankara by the Swedish defense minister. Protests took place outside Sweden’s diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul.
Erdogan slammed Swedish authorities for allowing Koran-burning demonstrations.
“It is clear that those who allowed such evil acts to take place in front of our embassy cannot expect any charity from us regarding the application of NATO membership,” he said.
He also criticized pro-Kurdish demonstrations, demanding that Sweden let “terror organizations walk your streets and roads.” He said that if Sweden will not respect Turkey or Muslims, then “they will not see support from us on NATO issues.”
Matti Pesu, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said Haavisto’s comments were “the first public signal that there is a Plan B that Sweden’s NATO membership bid is frozen for a longer period of time.”
He stressed that Finland still prioritized joining the alliance together with Sweden.
“Having Sweden as a NATO ally is an important security interest for Finland,” he said. “Finland should consider other alternatives only if there is a serious possibility of a significant delay in Sweden’s NATO offer and only if NATO allies welcome Finland without Sweden.”
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, who visited Ukraine on Tuesday, said he did not expect progress on the issue ahead of Turkey’s May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members that have not yet ratified the accession of Finland and Sweden.
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