Two provocative incidents in Stockholm this month have energised Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of tight elections and dimmed Sweden and Finland's hopes of joining NATO before the summer, diplomats, analysts and opposition politicians say.
All 30 NATO member states must approve newcomers.
Ozer Sencar, chairman of pollster Metropoll, said that amplifying foreign policy and security issues ahead of elections allows Erdogan to consolidate his voter base. "Of course they feel the pressure from the upcoming elections in mid-May and because of that the discussion understandably has become heated in many ways in Turkey," Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Reuters.
While Erdogan's government backs the Nordics' NATO bid with conditions, his political opponents had been more supportive - before the Stockholm incidents.His AK Party, now the biggest, is likely to remain a powerful force in parliament after the elections, but opinion polls show Erdogan trailing some potential presidential challengers including CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and the popular mayors of Istanbul and Ankara.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Finland looks at joining NATO without Sweden amid pushback from TurkeyFinland's foreign minister suggested that Helsinki may look to join NATO without Sweden as Stockholm faces pushback from Turkey.
Weiterlesen »
Turkey and Hungary should be suspended from NATOIn order to be credible, a defensive military alliance requires the common confidence of its members that, should one member be attacked, other members will provide it with decisive support. Whatever other interests they may have with the United States and its NATO allies, it is now obvious that…
Weiterlesen »
Explainer: Why is Turkey blocking Swedish and Finnish NATO membership?Swedish and Finnish hopes of quickly joining NATO have run into an obstacle in the form of objections by Turkey, which holds veto powers over accession to the military alliance.
Weiterlesen »
Turkey says it is 'meaningless' to restore NATO dialogue with Sweden, FinlandTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday it was 'meaningless' to hold a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland to discuss their NATO bids after protests this month in Stockholm.
Weiterlesen »