Clear points for the refusal of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoganfor Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO leaves Bloombergwith peaks for Ankara’s general stance within the North Atlantic Alliance.
The article notes that, expressing his objections to their membership in NATO, the Turkish president invokes that Finland and Sweden provide shelter to Kurds, including some belonging to terrorist groups.
Bloomberg talks about opportunism on the part of Erdogan, as he had previously told his Finnish counterpart that he would welcome Helsinki’s application for NATO membership. According to the agency, Mr. Erdogan insists not only the Finns and the Swedes to fight Kurdish activism, but also other NATO member states to do the same. Most importantly, he wants other members to abandon restrictions on the supply of state-of-the-art military equipment to Turkey – restrictions that come as a result of his own decision to buy Russian S-400 missile defense systems, which could jeopardize military capabilities of the alliance, notes Bloomberg.
The post points out that she This is not the first time that Turkey has threatened to disrupt NATO security plans, if its narrow interests are not served. Two years ago, it delayed a NATO defense plan for Poland and the Baltic states for several months, urging member states to take action against a Kurdish group considered important in the fight against Islamic State.
Mr Erdogan backed down then, and may well do so again on the issue of NATO enlargement, according to Bloomberg. However, as he adds, NATO can not afford to be left to Turkish President’s repeated aggression. A protracted approval process for Finland and Sweden could leave both countries vulnerable to Russian intimidation, as they will not be under NATO’s collective security umbrella until they join. And given Vladimir Putin’s increasingly unpredictable behavior, the alliance is bound to face increasingly frequent crises in which it must act swiftly and decisively. notes Bloomberg.
He also emphasizes that, if the Mild reprimands do not change Mr Erdogan’s behavior, tougher punishments should be considered. NATO rules do not allow expulsion of a member, but Erdogan’s deliberate contempt for the collective good suggests a need to reconsider those rulesnotes Bloomberg and adds that French President Emanuel Macron has proposed a revision of the rules of the European Union, which also do not allow the expulsion of members.
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