ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, in an unexpected move, said on Monday the European Union should open the way for Ankara’s accession to the bloc before Turkey’s parliament approves Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance.
Turkey’s bid to join the EU has been frozen for years after membership talks were launched in 2005 under Erdogan’s first term as prime minister.
The ties between Ankara and members of the bloc soured several years ago, especially after a 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey, but have since improved. The bloc depends on the help of NATO ally Ankara, particularly on migration.
In a surprise change of tack, Erdogan on Monday linked Ankara’s approval of Sweden’s NATO bid to Turkey finally joining the EU.
“I am calling from here on these countries that are making Turkey wait at the door of the European Union for more than 50 years,” Erdogan said, speaking ahead of his departure for the NATO summit in Vilnius.
“First, come and open the way for Turkey at the European Union and then we will open the way for Sweden, just as we did for Finland,” he said, adding that he would repeat his call during the summit.
A European Commission spokesperson said NATO and EU enlargement were “separate processes.”
“The accession process for each candidate country is based on the merits of each country,” the spokesperson said, adding that the two processes cannot be linked.
Asked about Erdogan’s comments, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said while he backs Ankara’s membership of the EU, as far as he was concerned Sweden had already met the conditions required to join NATO.
