Bloomberg: NATO should increase pressure on Erdogan
The tension that grew with the burning of the Holy Quran near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm in Sweden is closely followed in the international press.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “If Sweden cannot respect the religious beliefs of Muslims, it will not receive any support from us in NATO.” Then Turkey, Sweden and Finland announced they canceled months-long tripartite mechanism meetings for NATO membership, indefinitely.
The closing of Turkey’s doors to two countries that applied for NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was at the top of the world press agenda. The Bloomberg news agency, one of the major broadcasters in the US, published a remarkable article about the latest process.
In the article published by the Bloomberg editorial board, Turkey is described as a “country that has taken the lead” in its lawsuits against Sweden and Finland, saying that “NATO should put an end to this debate and accept unconditionally to its new members”. The article noted that Turkey thought it would force other NATO members to agree to its demands, and it was claimed that Erdogan was trying to garner support from his nationalist base before the elections in Turkey and did not back down.
Stating that Turkey’s stubbornness also jeopardized Europe’s security, Bloomberg commented that Sweden and Finland, which can contribute greatly to NATO, are currently in a vulnerable position against Russian aggression, and this situation the threat of conflict between Russia and the West increases.
‘OPTIONS AGAINST TURKEY SHOULD BE ON THE TABLE’
Writing that the US and Europe have to resolve this deadlock, the news agency said: “President Joe Biden should make it clear that while Turkey has the right to express its concerns about Kurdish terrorism, the price of this is not hinder efforts to strengthen NATO.” In the article, which notes that Turkey’s extradition requests to Sweden should be resolved between the two countries and should not be included in the NATO process, it is argued that NATO leaders should pressure Erdogan to approve membership of the two countries before May 18.
In the article, which also included a call for the US Congress to respond by stopping the sale of F-16s to Turkey if Erdogan resists, it was noted that options to limit Turkey’s participation in the exercises, excluding Erdogan from NATO meetings, and even kicking Turkey out of NATO should be on the table. The post concluded with the statement: “The message should be clear: an alliance member who knowingly harms the security of the group is never an ally.”