Status: 08.12.2023, 20:11 PM
By: Erkan Pehlivan
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The far-right MHP party currently rejects Sweden's NATO membership. President Erdoğan cannot ignore this, because the party is a partner of his government.
Ankara – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged at the NATO summit on July 11 and 12 to lift his veto on Sweden's accession to the Western defense alliance. So far, however, this has not happened. The Committee on Foreign Affairs is currently discussing the Scandinavian country's accession to NATO, the Turkish government had recently announced.
One of the reasons why the veto has not yet been lifted could also be the far-right MHP. In an interview in the party's own newspaper Türkgünü, the party's chairman, Devlet Bahceli, said that he opposes joining NATO. "The Holy Quran was burned in Sweden. Our religion has been insulted. The most serious attacks have been perpetrated on our spirituality," Bahceli said.
Right-wing leader calls for trial against Netanyahu
In the interview, Bahceli mentions the conditions for Stockholm's accession to NATO. "If there is a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, if an independent and territorially integrated Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is recognized within the 1967 borders, if Israel agrees to pay compensation, if the way is paved for a trial of Netanyahu in The Hague, then we will support Sweden's NATO membership." Both Bahceli and Erdoğan have repeatedly accused Israel of war crimes against Palestinians.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists on concessions from Sweden in exchange for joining NATO. © Christoph Soeder/dpa
The Turkish president cannot simply ignore Bahceli's words, as the party is considered a "silent coalition partner". The MHP supports Erdoğan's AKP government and can thus have a say. The former interior minister, Süleyman Soylu, a hardliner and flourishing nationalist, was a preferred candidate of the far-right party.
In the election campaign for the Turkish elections in May, the cooperation between Erdoğan's AKP and Bahçeli's MHP could also be seen. The MHP fully supported Erdoğan's candidacy. In Germany, too, the unity between the two parties could be seen. In January, for example, AKP MP Mustafa Acikgöz was seen at a mosque of the nationalist "Grey Wolves" in Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, during an election campaign speech in which he threatened, among other things, to hunt down Kurds and supporters of the Gülen movement. After the case fr.de of IPPEN. MEDIA, the Turkish ambassador was even summoned to the Foreign Office.
In the end, Turkey must abandon blockade against NATO accession
Nevertheless, experts believe it is unlikely that Turkey will be able to block Sweden's accession to NATO for much longer. The country continues to insist on EU membership and urgently needs modern fighter jets. So far, both the United States and the Europeans refuse to sell Eurofighters to Ankara. Erdogan has repeatedly railed against Western NATO partners in the past. (erpe)