On Monday, July 10th, at the NATO summit at Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gave his approval to submit Sweden’s request for NATO membership to the parliament, effectively resolving a prolonged issue that had put a strain on the alliance due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Last year, Sweden and Finland, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, decided to abandon their long-standing policy of military non-alignment and applied for NATO membership. Turkey attempted to block Finland, too, but only in the case of Sweden did it insist so much, reaping the benefits: Turkey has been using the prospect of Swedish membership in order to influence Washington’s decision on the purchase of Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-16 fighters and modernization kits, as Turkey had expressed interest in acquiring these military assets amounting to $20 billion in October 2021.).
Turkey: “I barely think about you at all”
Stoltenberg: “I’M HELPING”
For several months, the United States and its allies have been attempting to exert pressure on Ankara, to no avail. This is yet another cautionary tale about the increased importance of an unreliable ally, such as Turkey, when relations of NATO and Russia are strained…
