But the linkage to European Union membership, an issue Erdogan first raised in a phone call with President Biden on Sunday, appeared to be a new condition — raising questions about whether the Turkish leader was determined to act as a spoiler at the NATO Summit in Lithuania on Monday, or was instead trying to wring as many concessions as possible from Western allies before agreeing to Sweden’s membership.
“We want our promises to be kept,” Erdogan said, speaking to reporters in Istanbul before departing for the summit. “First, come and pave the way for Turkey in the European Union, then let’s pave the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland,” he said.
Turkey, he added, “has been waiting at the door of the E.U. for 50 years.”
The European Union quickly dismissed the idea of tying Sweden’s NATO bid to E.U. enlargement.
“You cannot link the two processes,” Dana Spinant, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said Monday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz echoed the sentiment, saying there is no reason to see them as a “connected issue.”
The unusual demand from Erdogan comes after months of obstruction by the Turkish leader, who won a closely fought election in May, extending his rule into a third decade.
In the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, Finland and Sweden abandoned years of military nonalignment to seek security in NATO — only to face pushback from Turkey. Joining NATO requires unanimous approval from existing member countries.
A year ago, at the NATO meeting in Madrid, Erdogan dropped his opposition to Finnish and Swedish membership at the summit, stealing the show and raising hope for a quick accession process.
But the deal soured quickly, with Turkey continuing to call out Sweden for its refusal to hand over Kurds accused of being militants, and Hungary, an ally of Ankara, also signaling opposition. Ultimately, Finland decided to move ahead without Sweden, joining the alliance in April after Turkey approved its membership.
Provocative remarks from Erdogan in the run-up to this year’s summit have left officials and analysts wondering whether Sweden’s bid is doomed — or if Erdogan plans to cut a deal and is simply negotiating.
“It’s possible that Erdogan could be staging this so he could be the good guy,” said Anna Wieslander, director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council, “saving the summit by giving a unilateral green light.”
If so, it is a strategy that may have cost Erdogan goodwill within the alliance at a time when unity is seen as pivotal.
The fact that only 29 of 31 members have ratified Swedish membership has made “NATO look weaker,” Wieslander said “and that benefits Russia.”
Rauhala reported from Vilnius. Beatriz Ríos in Brussels and Kate Brady in Berlin contributed to this report.