An important summit was held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Then, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) marked an important takeaway from its goals for this year. NATO has finally reached an agreement with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Türkiye, under which Sweden joins the military alliance. The decision was made after years of negotiations.
Procedures for joining NATO
A country must meet certain conditions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). These prerequisites are accepting diversity, maintaining democracy, respecting the sovereignty of other countries, etc.
When a country registers as a NATO member, a Member Action Plan (MAP) is signed. The MAP is a mechanism open to all new members joining the organization between 1999 and 2020. However, Finland and Sweden are exceptions as they do not use this process.
When a country meets the prerequisites and expresses its intention to become part of NATO, that country is invited to do the same in the event that all other existing countries in the organization agree. This step proved to be the beginning of accession negotiations. Finally, the Accession Protocol was signed.
Situation in Sweden
Last May, Finland and Sweden, two Nordic countries, applied to join NATO. NATO’s original goal was to prevent the expansion of the former Soviet Union in Europe after World War II.
The two countries have always had a military policy of “non-alignment”. The two countries previously worked closely with NATO, but only signed up for full membership last year. The two countries had previously held joint military exercises with the organization. The two countries have cooperated very closely with NATO despite not being a member, by sharing intelligence and supporting NATO military missions.
Why doesn’t Türkiye support Sweden’s membership in NATO?
Türkiye often argues that Finland and Sweden have links to “terrorist groups”. This position applies to the People’s Protection Unit and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The PKK is seeking substantial autonomy for the Kurdish minority in Türkiye. On the other hand, the People’s Protection Units are the armed wing of the Syrian Kurds that control parts of the Kurdish region in Syria. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party is considered a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.
Sweden, on the other hand, has accused Turkey of human rights violations, especially in Kurdish areas, and has questioned its democratic standards.
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education