Sweden's entry into NATO would have "a deterrent effect in northern Europe," according to a report agreed by the country's Social Democratic government and by six of the eight parliamentary forces —except environmentalists and former communists—.
The text, which analyzes the new security situation generated after Russia's attack on Ukraine, concludes that, if "Sweden and Finland become members of the Atlantic Alliance, the Nordic and Baltic countries will be protected with the guarantees of collective defense ”.
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has shown this Friday his disagreement with the eventual entry of the two Nordic countries into NATO.
Turkey, a member of the Alliance since 1952, is the first partner to have publicly stated its opposition.
The accession of new countries requires unanimity of all members of the organization.
According to the Swedish document, "Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine has a nature and scope that Europe has not experienced since World War II."
And, although Sweden already cooperates on defense and security with its “strategic partners”, there are currently no “binding defense obligations”.
That is to say, "there is no guarantee that Sweden will receive help if it were the target of a serious threat or attack", since article 5 on collective defense only affects member countries, underlines the document, which was presented this Friday by the Swedish Foreign and Defense Ministers Ann Linde and Peter Hultqvist.
The report highlights that there is not much room to strengthen bilateral cooperation with NATO or within Europe because "it is clear that there is a lack of political will to create a collective defense in the European Union."
In addition, remaining outside NATO would force the country to face defense spending of more than 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the minimum recommended by the alliance.
"The main consequence of a future entry into NATO would be that Sweden would be part of its collective security," Ann Linde, who has expressed concern about the country's security during the transition period until final integration, said at a press conference. in NATO.
During this time, according to Linde, Sweden could be subject to cyberattacks or provocations such as violations of its airspace.
The presentation of the report comes a day after the president of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, and the prime minister of the Nordic country, Sanna Marin, issued a joint statement in which they urged to request admission to the Atlantic Alliance.
The Swedish Social Democratic Party, which alone heads a minority government, has called an extraordinary meeting of its leadership for Sunday after which they will make public their position on joining the alliance.
The forecasts are that they are favorable to joining NATO.
Next Monday, the Swedish Parliament will host a special debate on the new security report, which Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will attend.
After the act, the Swedish media believe that an extraordinary meeting of the Government could be held to announce the sending of a formal application for admission.
Turkey's opposition
"We are following the situation regarding Sweden and Finland, but we do not see it positively," Erdogan told the media in Istanbul at the end of Friday's prayer on the approach of the Nordic countries to the Alliance.
The Islamist president justified his opposition in that these countries "have become a host for terrorists", in particular armed organizations such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or the People's Liberation Revolutionary Party-Front (DHKP-C). ).
Traditionally, the Scandinavian countries have been a refuge for numerous activists and politicians from Turkey — pro-Kurdish, leftist or Islamist — fleeing repression in their country, both those who opted for peaceful paths and those more or less close to these armed groups. proscribed by the antiterrorist legislation of the European Union and that still carry out attacks on Turkish soil.
“The PKK, the DHKP-C have nested in Sweden, in the Netherlands [sic].
And there they grow and even take place in Parliament," Erdogan criticized.
The Turkish government has demanded the extradition of many of these exiles, either to Sweden or to other countries through which they have passed, as was the case of the Turkish-Swedish journalist Hamza Yalçin, arrested in Spain in 2017, but whose delivery to Ankara was finally rejected by the Council of Ministers.
The Turkish opposition could ruin the Finnish and Swedish candidacy for NATO since the acquiescence of all partners is required to approve new income.
Until now, Turkey had been favorable to the extensions of the organization, since, especially the last ones, they have been to countries with which Ankara maintains excellent relations, such as Albania or North Macedonia.
Still, Erdogan's opposition to the Scandinavian candidacy may be a well-staged tantrum for concessions.
It already happened with the election of the Danish Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary of the Atlantic Alliance in 2009. Then, the Turkish government - of which Erdogan was prime minister - was furious at the position that the Danish Executive had maintained during the crisis of the cartoons of Muhammad three years earlier.
Finally, Turkey supported the election of Rasmussen in exchange for him issuing an apology to the Muslim world for the cartoon crisis.
But, above all, what the Erdogan government achieved in return was the closure of the Roj TV television station, accused of propagandizing the PKK and which broadcast from Denmark, and appointing Turkish soldiers to two senior positions in the new leadership of the NATO.
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